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    A Burning Rainbow Man
    A Burning Rainbow Man
    A Burning Rainbow Man
    Ebook37 pages36 minutes

    A Burning Rainbow Man

    By Ann Stratton

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    About this ebook

    Steve Barras is a ghost. He jumps from body to body, burning them out in the process, and he thinks—he prays—that he is the only one, because this is no way to live. But one day, he finds out all his prayers are in vain, because there is another like him, after all. Will he be able to take the steps necessary to stop this other ghost, once and for all?
    This story has previously appeared in the anthology “Things We Can Create”, edited by Harvey Stanbrough.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnn Stratton
    Release dateFeb 1, 2015
    ISBN9781311694454
    A Burning Rainbow Man
    Author

    Ann Stratton

    Ann Stratton started writing at age thirteen with the usual results. After a long stint in fan fiction, honing her skills, she hopes she has gotten better since then. She lives in Southeastern Arizona, trying to juggle all her varied interests. 

    Read more from Ann Stratton

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      Book preview

      A Burning Rainbow Man - Ann Stratton

      A Burning Rainbow Man

      The Smashwords Edition

      Ann Stratton

      A Blind Woman Production publication

      Copyright © 2014 Ann Stratton

      This story has previously appeared in the anthology Things We Create, edited by Harvey Stanbrough.

      Smashwords License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. It may not be resold or given away. If you would like to share this ebook, please purchase an additional copy for each person with whom you want to share it. If you're reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      * * *

      Disclaimer

      This is a work of fiction, a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance or similarity to any actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      * * *

      Credits

      Cover photo courtesy of Bigstock www.bigstockphoto.com

      Editing, formatting, and cover design by Ann Stratton

      * * *

      A Burning Rainbow Man

      Rain pounded on Steve Barras’ borrowed head, running down the neck of his raincoat. At his feet lay a charred body. Scraps of clothing still clung to the seared torso and limbs. The face, head and extremities were only charcoal. Steve moved aside to allow the morgue attendants to shovel the remains into a waiting body bag. They levered their burden onto a gurney and wheeled it off to the waiting ambulance.

      People dressed in slicker-covered blue or tan uniforms and rubber gloves were scurrying around the alley. Steve moved out of their way, knowing what the coroner would find.

      Spontaneous combustion took time and left little but ash and greasy soot. Arson left its chemical traces, along with charring of the surroundings. This was neither of those commonplace incinerations. Barras knew what had burned this unknown victim because he had, in his need, occasionally burned a stranger in the same way.

      He said nothing. He kept his borrowed hands in his pockets. The end was coming much too soon.

      Lance!

      He turned to meet his partner as he mentally shifted from being Steve Barras, whom he had been at birth, to Lance Kassidy, whose body he was now wearing.

      I've never seen anything burn quite like that. Jerry Morse watched the morgue attendants close up their ambulance. What do you think?

      Anything burns if the fire's hot enough.

      Yeah... on a night like this, you'd think even the arsonists would stay home, but no, they got to get out and do their thing. It's just plain meanness--douse a drunk with gas and touch him off. Jerry’s swift hand transcribed what his eyes had seen.

      Lance let him take the notes. Steve wasn't sure Lance's hand was steady enough for him to take notes tonight. The adrenaline rush and recognition of the body had made more than his hands shake. Tonight he would have gone out to hunt but for the call

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