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    Cthulhu Passant
    Cthulhu Passant
    Cthulhu Passant
    Ebook91 pages1 hour

    Cthulhu Passant

    By Travis Heermann, Guy Anthony De Marco, Vivian Caethe and

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    About this ebook

    The intricacies of chess meet the matchless Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. Stories of doors, of passages, of patterns. Squares and threats, moves and counter-moves. Forbidden knowledge and cosmic horrors.

    ... Two young lovers and the hand that plays them

    ... A man trapped with an unwholesome companion uncovers the secret of a cosmic struggle

    ... A professor and his protégé find themselves pawns on an ancient chessboard

    ... A young Soviet boy's chess match holds the fate of his nation in the balance

    ... A battered woman seeks safety in a shelter, only to find there might be no safety anywhere

    Let these five guides to the grotesque lead you into the dank depths of their imagination ... where the monsters lurk.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTravis Heermann
    Release dateApr 14, 2014
    ISBN9781622254095
    Cthulhu Passant
    Author

    Travis Heermann

    Travis Heermann grew up in the countryside of Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a BS in electrical engineering. In 2003, he shifted careers and moved to Fukuoka, Japan, to teach English to young students in public schools. Amazon.com called his first novel, The Ivory Star, “a must have for every sci-fi reader.” Soon afterward, Heermann immersed himself in Japanese culture and history and combined his passion for folklore and fantasy literature. The result is Heart of the Ronin, a tale of a teenage warrior in thirteenth-century Japan, and the first volume in the Ronin Trilogy. On Ronin Writer (travisheermann.com/blog), Heermann’s blog about the writing life, he posts an ongoing series of in-depth interviews with authors in a variety of genres.

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      Book preview

      Cthulhu Passant - Travis Heermann

      CTHULHU PASSANT

      Edited by

      Travis Heermann

      Bear Paw Publishing

      Denver

      Cthulhu Passant Copyright © 2014 by Travis Heermann

      Introduction Copyright © 2014 by Travis Heermann. Fried Liver Attack Copyright © 2014 by Guy Anthony De Marco. The Isolated Pawn Copyright © 2014 by Sam Knight. In the Move of Madness Copyright © 2014 by Peter J. Wacks. The Final Game of Pripyat Copyright © 2014 by Vivian Caethe. Patterns of Threat Copyright © 2014 by Travis Heermann.

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

      This anthology is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors’ imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

      No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.

      Cover and Interior Illustrations: Chaz Kemp

      E-BOOK EDITION

      ISBN 978-1-62225-409-5

      Bear Paw Publishing

      Denver, Colorado, USA

      www.bearpawpublishing.com

      DEDICATION

      All proceeds from this book go to the support of women whose lives have been affected by addiction and domestic violence. The horrors to be found within this book hold little comparison to theirs.

      The beneficiary of these proceeds is Asbury House, a shelter and care organization in Fort Collins, Colorado. For more information about who they are and what they do, go to http://asburyhouse.org/index.html.

      INTRODUCTION

      Strange things can happen at conventions when authors get together.

      A group of writers sits around in the hotel bar, talking about stories, careers, gossip, talking about H.P. Lovecraft, talking about chess, and then suddenly talking about Lovecraftian chess stories or chess-Lovecraft stories.

      And then somebody makes a bet, issues a challenge: to write such a story in a week.

      And then we’ll vote on the stories, and the writer with the best story wins the chance to publish them as an anthology.

      And we’ll publish it for charity.

      And it will benefit women’s shelters and programs for victims of domestic violence.

      So we did it, it happened, and here I am, having won for myself a ton of work and the privilege of putting together this selection of stories by some excellent writers. I’m honored to share these pages with the work of three Bram Stoker Award nominees, the writers Guy Anthony De Marco and Peter J. Wacks, plus the artistic talents of Chaz Kemp, who collaborated with them on their nominated graphic novel, Behind These Eyes. The other writers ain’t no slouches either. Vivian Caethe’s collection Handwritten is a delectable smorgasbord of flash fiction and crunchy vignettes. Sam Knight’s short stories are starting to spread like wildfire to other anthologies like Penny Dread Tales III.

      I am also privileged to be able to support a worthy charity with this effort in a time when support for women’s organizations seems to be under attack at every level of society, with a vocal, strident minority that seems bent on dragging women’s rights back into the 19th century.

      I like the idea of hope coming from horror.

      The title of this anthology comes from a particular chess move where one pawn can take another pawn en passant, or in passing.

      The French word passant can also be used to mean passerby. Great Cthulhu, Lovecraft’s timeless Great Old One, could destroy us en passant with a shrug of his slimy wing from his dreaming place beneath the Pacific Ocean.

      In these stories come brushes with the cosmic, the unfathomable, the unspeakable mysteries of the universe, coupled with what is arguably the greatest game ever devised on this blue ball spinning through the void. What better metaphor for the cosmic, the unknowable, than a game with more possibilities than there are quarks in this universe?

      And from that cosmic mystery comes ... what?

      Cthulhu ftaghn.

      Travis Heermann

      April, 2014

      Fried Liver Attack

      By Guy Anthony De Marco

      And Knight takes pawn, E5. Toby looked up from the chessboard, a large smile spread across his brown face. This opening is pretty ancient. Your move.

      Sarah scanned the board, her dark eyes jerking as though she were in a deep REM sleep. She closed them and yawned, then stretched her arms until they touched the roof of the 1978 Dodge camper van and her shoulders made a small popping sound. We’re supposed to be camping and having fun on our first date. You promised fun. I distinctly remember that word. Chess is as fun as watching professional miniature golf. She dropped her arms back down. Stupid name for an opening move anyway, Fried Liver Attack. I’m stuck, I don’t know where to move next, and I’d rather be kissing you right about now.

      Toby smiled, then puckered up.

      After a few minutes, they broke apart. Sarah blushed and giggled. My father would be so pissed right now. ‘You shouldn’t be alone in the middle of nowhere with that stranger.’ Her brow furrowed. Of course, a stranger means someone who isn’t white. She sighed and put her hand on Toby’s. Old school, old fool when it comes to race relations. You’ll have to remember that when you meet him.

      Already planning to introduce me to your family, eh? With his other hand, he rubbed Sarah’s knuckles. I could tell him I’m set up with a lucrative tech support job with IBM once I graduate.

      No, that would make things worse. It’s not the money, it’s the stereotype. She lowered her voice an octave and said in a mock Indian accent, Hello, my name is Samuel L. Jackson, how may I fix your computer today?

      Well, I guess I won’t tell him my father owns a chain of 7-11’s, Toby replied. Icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, there’s some snacks in the cooler. Hungry?

      Starving.

      Toby struggled with the side door for a few moments until it slid open, squealing in rusty protest. They hopped out of the recreational vehicle and stretched, followed by a few fumbling kisses.

      You want a beer?

      Eh, why not, said Sarah. Got anything substantial in there too?

      Toby walked over to

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