Aurealis #167

By Stephen Higgins (Editor)

This is the first issue of Aurealis for the year and as usual it is crammed with great fiction, intersting non fiction and our much loved reviews and artwork. Aurealis continues to publish new and established authors who are pushing the boundaries. It's great stuff.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chimaera Publications
• Release date: Jan 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9781922471352

Book preview

AUREALIS #167

Edited by Stephen Higgins

Published by Chimaera Publications at Smashwords

Copyright of this compilation Chimaera Publications 2024

Copyright on each story remains with the contributor

EPUB version ISBN 978-1-922471-35-2

ISSN 2200-307X (electronic)

CHIMAERA PUBLICATIONS

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors, editors and artists.

Hard copy back issues of Aurealis can be obtained from the Aurealis website: www.aurealis.com.au

Contents

From the Cloud—Stephen Higgins

Changeling—Michael Gardner

The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary—Arden Baker

Feeding the Trolls—Christopher Yusko

Don't You Ever Wonder Where Everybody Is?—Angus Macdonald

Revisiting Already-Established Fictional Worlds and the Power of (Re)Imagination—Lachlan Walter

The Future is Now—Joyce Frohn

Reviews

From the Cloud

Stephen Higgins

Welcome to another Year of Aurealis.

Ten more issues of quality Science Fiction, Fantasy and a smattering of the paranormal every so often. More stories from local and international authors as well as lots of interesting and provocative non-fiction articles from a range of views and perspectives. And, of course, more reviews. Hopefully we will be able to guide you toward some of the more off beat releases during the year. I know many people use our review section to plan their reading. We will also be bringing you more artwork to adorn the stories that feature each month and I know that this is a particularly prized aspect of our magazine. Authors often contact us to tell us of their delight when they see the artwork that accompanies their stories.

Whilst there will be some slight personnel changes behind the scenes we intend to keep striving to present the best fiction that is around from February to November. If you have been with us for any period of time you will realise that we take turns to sit in the editor’s chair and I have the pleasure of steering the ship for the first three issues this year.

It is always a thrill to kick off the year in Aurealis and this year is no exception. If you have just joined us please make sure you have a look at our website at Aurealis.com.au where you will be able to read excerpts from each issue, as well as being able to access our shop and archives. You should also follow us on Facebook, look for us on the social media previously known as Twitter, and also on whatever social media you use. Just search for Aurealis and you will find us. Obviously, many of the individuals here at Aurealis also have accounts so feel free to look for us as well.

Each issue of Aurealis contains three works of fiction, two or three non-fiction articles, reviews and artwork. That’s a lot of material for just $2.99 per issue, or $19.99 for a whole year’s subscription. We hope you enjoy the ride.

All the best from the cloud!

Stephen Higgins

Editor: Stephen Higgins

Stephen has been interested in science fiction for ages and has written a few stories for Aurealis in the past. Lately he has been creating a lot of music. You can hear his music on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp and Soundcloud and all of the other usual places you get your music.

Associate Editor: Eugen Bacon

Eugen Bacon is an African Australian author of several novels and collections. She’s a British Fantasy Award winner, a Foreword Indies Award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalist, and a finalist in other awards. Eugen was announced in the honor list of the Otherwise Fellowships for ‘doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction’. Visit her at eugenbacon.com.

Back to Contents

Changeling

Michael Gardner

Riley stands just inside the large, concrete stormwater pipe, listening to the mewling sound that sets his nerves on edge. Jez is behind him, and stares into the gloom.

‘In there?’ Riley asks. He hopes his voice didn’t waver.

‘Yep,’ Jez responds.

It’s a hot day, and the pipe seems cool in comparison, but that doesn’t make it inviting. The trickle of water that runs through it is littered with cans, soggy paper, syringes. It stinks—wet cement and mould. Someone has tagged the walls in blue paint.

‘What’s that sound?’ Riley asks. It bounces around the concrete, and seems to come from everywhere at once.

‘That’s what I want to show you,’ Jez says.

Riley swallows. The pipe is darker than he thought it would be when Jez pointed it out from across the nature reserve.

‘Don’t be a wuss,’ Jez says.

Riley shakes his head. ‘I’m not.’ But he doesn’t move.

Jez sighs. ‘It’s just cats, okay. You never heard cats crying before?’

Riley has. His neighbour’s cat—Macy—spends more time at Riley’s house then its own. Riley’s Ma isn’t supposed to feed it, but she does. She’s even set a bed up for it in the kitchen. It makes a whining sound when it’s hungry, but not like this. This is a chorus of voices, and each sounds pained.

‘Look, we’re not even really here for the cats. Well, we are and we aren’t. It’s cool, honestly.’

Riley still doesn’t move. Jez makes an exasperated noise, pushes Riley aside and steps into the pipe ducking to avoid hitting his head.

‘Fine, I’ll go first. You coming?’ he asks, sneaking a glance over his shoulder. Riley doesn’t want to, but he also doesn’t want to show he’s weak in front of Jez who’s a couple of years older but has taken to hanging out with him after school. So he nods, follows.

They walk in silence. Riley concentrates on avoiding the mud, but the further they go, the darker it gets and the harder it is to spot the puddles. His feet are soon soaked. His Ma will be cranky, but it’s too late to do anything about it now.

‘Your stepdad still bothering you?’ Jez asks over his shoulder.

‘Trent isn’t my damn stepdad,’ Riley says, bristling.

‘Geez, sorry. He’s not your stepdad, Thomas isn’t your brother. I’ve got it. Chill.’

They walk a little further in silence. Riley starts to feel guilty about snapping at Jez. He was probably just trying to be nice asking about Trent. He sighs. ‘Yeah, Trent’s still a pain. I liked it better when he first moved in and just ignored me. But lately, I don’t know, he’s always around. He’s too interested in me, you know?’ Jez doesn’t say anything straight away and Riley wonders if he does know. He wishes he had better words to describe what’s wrong. Trent has always given Riley the creeps. But since Thomas came along, Trent seems to have decided to spend more time with Riley. He’s always about, watching, with a smile that’s not really a smile.

‘Have you tried talking to your mum about it?’ Jez says.

Riley shrugs. ‘Not really.’

Jez keeps walking. ‘Just before my dad left,’ Jez says, ‘He wanted to go out and shoot baskets all the time. At first, I thought it was nice, but after a few days it got tiring. So one day I refused and he got mad as hell and hit me just for not playing with him.’

Riley continues to walk, but his ears are pricked.

‘When he left us, I kept thinking: I should have gone out and shot the ball around. Like maybe that was why he went or something. But it wasn’t true.’

‘What was he doing then?’

Jez makes a clicking noise at the back of his throat. ‘I think maybe he knew he was leaving, so he tried to spend more time with me at the end. Tried to make me remember him or something.’

‘Did it work?’

‘I guess.’ Jez clears his throat, spits. The gob splashes in the stream. ‘Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is, maybe Trent’s doing the same. Maybe he’ll take off soon, and he’s just trying to make you remember him before he goes.’

Riley smiles at that. He doesn’t believe it, but he likes the idea.

Jez stops abruptly and Riley, lost