Danger in the Lumo-Bay

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Inhuman Acts: A Collection of Noir, September 2015

“It felt amazing to break the rules instead of make them. For once, he could defy expectations, behave recklessly, and there would be no cost.”

Captain Jacques twitched his naked ears and swished his bare, pink tail as he stepped into the lumo-bay, a large, empty room with hexagonal, blue grid-lines on the walls.  Even though he was a hairless cat, the captain always held an air of dignity.  No other cat or dog ever wore a Tri-Galactic Navy uniform with greater aplomb than he did, but today Captain Jacques wasn’t wearing his uniform.  He was dressed in a pin-striped suit and a floor-length, tan trench coat, split down the back. Continue reading “Danger in the Lumo-Bay”

Frankenstein’s Gryphon

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things, November 2015

“Flowers in small bouquets, mostly the yellow and white blooms of arctic poppies and snow buttercups, and other tokens such as handmade dolls or tiny flags marked most of the graves. The largest patch of freshly overturned dirt, though, bore no markings — no tokens of love.”

Igor the arctic fox lurched across the tundra, limping from the deadened feeling in his left hindpaw.  That paw had never fully woken up when Frankie Mouse reanimated him.  The electric surge from the lightning bolt hadn’t made it that far, but Igor was still grateful to Frankie.  Without his kindness, Igor would still be lying in an unmarked grave, forgotten and unmourned.  Instead, Igor adventured across the tundra on glorious missions in service to the most magnificent mouse throughout the land. Continue reading “Frankenstein’s Gryphon”

Furry Book Month — Week 2!

Furry Book MonthFor the second week of Furry Book Month, we bring you another story co-written by Daniel & Mary E. Lowd — The Canoe Race.  This charming little tale is a type of furry fiction know as Secret Life of Animals.  The world is basically our own, but a spotlight shines on the foibles and mischief that animals get up to when the humans aren’t looking. Continue reading “Furry Book Month — Week 2!”

The Canoe Race

by Daniel Lowd and Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Stories of Camp RainFurrest, September 2011

“The first team to move their canoe to the center of the lake, as marked by an old buoy, and then return it to shore would be the winners. The bear let out a starting roar, and the race was on.”

The last camper had left.  The cabins had been swept clean of the dirt from the tramping feet of a hundred teenagers.  The dining hall had been swept and scrubbed free from the grease of a summer’s worth of meals.  The canoes had been pulled in from the lake and stowed in the boat house for winter.  The fire pit had been emptied of ash.  The gate on the road leading to Camp Riverwind had been locked.

It was finally time. Continue reading “The Canoe Race”