Happy New Year — Two Pieces of Flash!

fireworks
May your new year be filled with talking animals and spaceships!

To celebrate the end of 2016 and the start of 2017, we bring you a pair of stories that were originally published in A Glimpse of Anthropomorphic Literature earlier this year — this is the first time they’re available to read for free online.

Our first story, Sheeperfly’s Lullaby, is a snowy fable about a sheep and a wish that’s granted in an unexpected way.  Our second story, The Mouse Who Was Born a Bear, is story of transformation and becoming one’s true self. Continue reading “Happy New Year — Two Pieces of Flash!”

The Mouse Who Was Born a Bear

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in A Glimpse of Anthropomorphic Literature, Volume 3, August 2016

“Wait,” Maureen said. “Can I–” she hesitated, looking at the closed clone pod. “Can I look at my new body first?”

Maureen lumbered toward the Re-Incorpus Center, feeling horribly large and conspicuous.  Wire fencing on either side of the sidewalk protected her from the yelling protesters.  Nothing protected her from reading the hateful slogans on their signs:  Re-Incorpus Is Murder!  Vat-Bodies Have No Souls!  Death to Gen-Clones! Continue reading “The Mouse Who Was Born a Bear”

Sheeperfly’s Lullaby

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in A Glimpse of Anthropomorphic Literature, Issue 2, March 2016

“Butterflies don’t live as long as sheep, and Soft-as-Snow feared her tiny daughter would die. So she sang White Wings lullabies filled with sadness and fear, hope and protection, woven through and through with love.”

Sheep tell many tales as they graze. There’s little to do in a grassy field but count the clouds, search for four-leafed clovers, and tell tall tales.  Yet, some of the sheep’s tales are true, and when Soft-as-Snow stares at the clouds with her liquid brown eyes, she isn’t counting them.  She’s searching, seeking, and hoping against hope — waiting for White Wings to return to her. Continue reading “Sheeperfly’s Lullaby”

Merry Christmas from a Grumpy Cat

Christmas TreeOur first year has been a long, dark year, but we published a lot of stories — 45 so far.  We even got a call-out from a story in Daily Science Fiction:  the story notes for The Empty Empire explain that it was inspired by Deep Sky Anchor, and it sent a few visitors our way.  (Welcome!  We loved getting your comments!)

In this dark December, we could all use a little brightness and cheer, so our present to you is a classic Christmas ghost story about that lovable, curmudgeonly, feline Scrooge — Shreddy and the Christmas Ghost. Continue reading “Merry Christmas from a Grumpy Cat”

Shreddy and the Christmas Ghost

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Anthropomorphic Dreams Podcast, AD 049, December 2012

“Shreddy’s dreams were haunted by sparkling mouse eyes. They hung on the Christmas tree, replacing the colored lights.”

Everything was going wrong this Christmas, and the dogs were too stupid to care.

Usually, after the Feast of the Giant Bird, Shreddy and the dogs were given table scraps to eat.  As a cat and a mediocre hunter, Shreddy relished the chance to taste the flesh of an avian larger than himself.  He looked forward to it all year.  Thus, he watched in utter horror as one of the Red-Haired Woman’s dinner guests scraped all the plates off into the trash.  No taste of turkey this year. Continue reading “Shreddy and the Christmas Ghost”

Last Week of Furry Book Month!

Furry Book MonthHeading into the final week of Furry Book Month, we have a special treat for you:  a Tri-Galactic Trek story.

“Danger in the Lumo-Bay” and, in fact, the entire Tri-Galactic Trek universe was inspired by a slush reader for an unnamed furry noir anthology commenting that he hoped someone would submit a Picard-in-the-Holodeck story.  Once the image of Captain Picard — re-imagined as a Sphyx cat — was in my head, there was no getting him out.  I had to write that story. Continue reading “Last Week of Furry Book Month!”

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!”