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    Creatures: Original Dark Fairy Tales & Fables
    Creatures: Original Dark Fairy Tales & Fables
    Creatures: Original Dark Fairy Tales & Fables
    Ebook71 pages55 minutes

    Creatures: Original Dark Fairy Tales & Fables

    By Will Bly

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    About this ebook

    From a talking raccoon to a dragon hell-bent on destroying humanity, this collection of dark fairy tales and fables takes you on unimaginable journey through the eyes of creatures small and large, in myth, in your mind, and out of this world. Come along for an adventurous ride.

    ● “A Conversation in Darkness” is an introduction to a dragon who is hellbent on destroying humanity.
    ● “All the Right Things” features a talking raccoon with nothing left to live for.
    ● “The Book Goblin” follows a librarian as he defends himself from an angry book goblin.
    ● “Bloody Bagel” is narrated by a seagull in a McDonald’s parking lot who works up the courage to face the big boss.
    ● “An Indignant Living” follows a woodchuck who risks everything for a bite of heaven.
    ● “The Final Dark” witnesses the growing pains of a tree.
    ● “Worm” explores the illustrious existence of earthworms.

    Keep reading for a special bonus -- the first chapter of Raven’s Bane, sequel to Will Bly's debut fantasy-mystery novel, Ravens in the Sky.

    What readers are saying about Creatures...
    "Think Aesop's fables with an attitude"
    "Creatures is quite an adventurous read"

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWill Bly
    Release dateJun 14, 2018
    ISBN9780463426586
    Creatures: Original Dark Fairy Tales & Fables
    Author

    Will Bly

    Will is a library manager and an adjunct instructor of English. He graduated from the University of Auckland, New Zealand with a Master of Arts in English. His extensive work on Tolkien inspires an independent writing career in dark speculative fiction. He lives with his wife, two sons, and dog in southwest Florida.

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      Book preview

      Creatures - Will Bly

      Creatures: Original Dark Fairy Tales & Fables

      By Will Bly

      Copyright 2018 William Blydenburgh

      All rights reserved.

      Smash Words Edition

      In memory of Loki, our special Quaker parrot

      You will be missed.

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction

      A Conversation in Darkness

      All the Right Things

      The Book Goblin

      Bloody Bagel

      An Indignant Living

      The Worm

      The Final Dark

      About the Author

      Other Works

      Novel Excerpt

      Acknowledgments

      I’d like to thank my lovely wife, Michelle Bly, for creating the cover for Creatures and editing A Conversation in Darkness and An Indignant Living. She also did final proofreading and formatting of this collection.

      Thank you to Dani-lyn Alexander for editing Bloody Bagel, The Book Goblin, and All the Right Things. Dani-lyn is the author of YA paranormal fantasy. Her works include Lost Princess and Reluctant Prince in the Kingdom of Cymmera series.

      A big thank you goes out to all of my beta-readers. This could not have been done without your helpful feedback:

      A Conversation in Darkness: Chris Kretz, Erin Miller, Anthony Pellegrino, Keanan Brand

      All the Right Things: Michelle Bly, Chris Kretz

      The Book Goblin: Rebekah Shafer, Chris Kretz

      Bloody Bagel: John Blenkinsop, Erin Miller, Chris Kretz, Anthony Pellegrino

      An Indignant Living: Anthony Pellegrino, Chris Kretz, Erin Miller

      Chris Kretz is an avid reader, a librarian, and aspiring writer. He currently hosts the Long Island History Project podcast.

      Erin Miller is an artist, LGBT writer, and poet. She blogs and reviews a variety of media including books, graphic novels, music, and movies.

      Anthony Pellegrino is the co-author of Ethereal Princess and has collaborated on a number of writing projects with me.

      Keanan Brand is the resident dragon expert. He is the epic fantasy author of the Lost Sword duology which includes Dragon’s Rook and the anticipated conclusion, Dragon’s Bane.

      John Blenkinsop also proofread The Book Goblin in addition to beta-reading. He is author of the Worlds of Yifan series among other fantasy works.

      Rebekah Shafer is the author of YA speculative fiction. Her works include the Surfaeillance series and A Sea of Purple Ink.

      Introduction

      Creature

      noun \ crea·ture \ˈkrē-CHər\

      an animal or imaginary being

      Ever since researching Tolkien, I have had a persisting interest in the word creature. In my thesis, I take great pains to investigate Gollum and the other creatures of Tolkien’s world. Creatures are beyond the confines of our perceived reality, and yet they provide a lens to confront and interpret said reality.

      Creatures hold all our ugly stuff. They are pocketbooks and backpacks full of our insecurities and character flaws. It’s no wonder why creatures are often frightening. Frightening, kind of quirky, and even funny. Because along the line of anxiety we have the line of humor. We smile nervously at the Gollum’s of our literary worlds, the things we create with our nasty bits so that we remain innocent.

      We also know full well that our creatures are to be respected as they, like Gollum, are fully capable of cannibalization.

      I present Creatures with the full intention of writing future volumes when time allows and, of course, if you actually like what I’ve done here. Meet a destructive book goblin reminiscent of Fahrenheit 451, a suicidal raccoon, a seagull that is hungry in more ways than one, a psycho-magical dragon, and a woodchuck with a dream.

      A Conversation in Darkness

      Don’t ask about a dragon’s language. We only speak to you in ways you can understand. Pure thought filtered through things like images, feelings, and dreams. Premonitions. Our voices are faint, wisps of vapor on a foggy night. We linger along the outlying regions of your mind, and we wait. What are we waiting for, you ask?

      For you to end. The end of mankind.

      Where are we, really? Where do we rest our scaly bottoms and our hordes of treasure? Deep in the darkness, closed off from this world. Nowhere you’ll find us. And if you come looking, come gallivanting like the knights of the past, you’ll end up just like the knights of the past: crisp, crunchy, and devoured.

      It wasn’t always this way. We used to soar above green lands, munching fresh sheep and grinding good-tasting goats. I still see the quick terror in their rectangular pupils as I swoop down on them, crushing them with mighty purpose. I still taste the freshness of their blood and meaty bits swashing around my gums and lips.

      Fresh goat meat is among the many, many things I had to give up when we withdrew from the world. You forced us to.

      I would like to rebuff the

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