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    An Unquiet Calm: A Collection of Short Stories
    An Unquiet Calm: A Collection of Short Stories
    An Unquiet Calm: A Collection of Short Stories
    Ebook65 pages58 minutes

    An Unquiet Calm: A Collection of Short Stories

    By Dave Higgins

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    About this ebook

    A collection of short works, containing two new and three republished stories:

    * Thieves in the Night: With Comet Grijalva predicted to wipe out life on Earth, Jason Pendrick fled to his uncle-in-law's farm. When the apocalypse doesn't happen, he has an opportunity to help rebuild society, but will the past drag him down? (6,444 words)

    * Washed Clean: Seimunda lives in a hovel, eking out a living bartering herbal remedies to villagers. But an accusation of witchcraft threatens to rob her of even that. (1,326 words)

    * Some Secrets: Always appearing when least expected, a mysterious man orders whichever sandwich Jo has been eyeing up. Do they just have similar tastes or is it something more inexplicable? Either way, there is definitely a connection. (2,572 words)

    * Blossom: When Mari Austan's husband, Jerek, joins the army she is left to run their drought-stricken farm alone. As both her crop dies and the letters home falter, she relies on cold fury to get through the days. But will she break before the weather does? (1,003 words)

    * An Unquiet Calm: When Frances Withrick is found holding the revolver that killed her husband, Inspector Stevens expects an all too human case of anger and regret. But a second killing and evidence the revolver was loaded with very unusual cartridge, force Stevens to consider a different theory: that the whispers of an inhuman force in the hills are true. (4,913 words)

    "An Unquiet Calm is a dark collection of short stories that will have you checking over your shoulder as you read. Filled with worlds you'd never want to live in, Dave Higgins weaves a cocoon of dread around you and won't let you out."
    - Simon Cantan, author of the Bytarend series.

    "There's a running theme of the otherworldly, ranging from the very grounded and possibly-coincidental in 'Some Secrets' to the dangerously potent in 'An Unquiet Calm' itself."
    - Neil Murton, author of Magpie Tales.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDave Higgins
    Release dateMay 17, 2014
    ISBN9781310550195
    An Unquiet Calm: A Collection of Short Stories
    Author

    Dave Higgins

    Dave Higgins writes speculative fiction, often with a dark edge. Despite forays into the mundane worlds of law and IT, he was unable to completely escape the liminal zone between mystery and horror. Born in the least mystically significant part of Wiltshire, England, and raised by a librarian, he started reading shortly after birth and has not stopped since. He currently lives in Bristol with his wife, Nicola, his cats, Jasper and Una, a plush altar to the Dark Lord Cthulhu, and many shelves of books. It’s rumoured he writes out of a fear that he will otherwise run out of things to read.

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      Book preview

      An Unquiet Calm - Dave Higgins

      An Unquiet Calm

      A Collection of Short Stories

      Dave Higgins

      This collection is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

      First Published March 2014.

      This Edition published August 2014.

      Collection Copyright ©2014 Dave Higgins.

      Thieves in the Night ©2013 Dave Higgins. Originally published in Fauxpocalypse: a collection of short fiction about the end of the world that wasn’t.

      Washed Clean ©2014 Dave Higgins. Originally published in an abridged version in Heresy-Online Expeditious Stories #12-12: Innocence.

      Some Secrets ©2014 Dave Higgins.

      Blossom ©2013 Dave Higgins. Originally published in an abridged version in Heresy-Online Expeditious Stories #12-05: Falling Rain.

      An Unquiet Calm ©2013 Dave Higgins.

      All Rights Reserved.

      The moral right of Dave Higgins to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988.

      Published by Dave Higgins, Bristol

      Front Cover set in GnuTypewriter designed by Lukasz Komsta and Trebuchet MS designed by Vincent Connare.

      Front Cover Image adapted from Crow Head by Kristine Paulus.

      Contents

      Thieves in the Night

      Washed Clean

      Some Secrets

      Blossom

      An Unquiet Calm

      About the Author

      Thieves in the Night

      6:00 am (GMT+1), 15th July, Gibbons Farm, Yorkshire, England

      Jason cracked his eyes and rolled over. Morning had broken and the world had not. Reverend Forbes had been right. He wondered if anyone would admit to being surprised. Either way, the world had not ended, so it was time for chores. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he started his morning ritual of picking straw from his hair. There were not enough beds for everyone, and it made sense for the less able to get those there were, but calling a giant sack of straw a mattress did not make it any cleaner or more comfortable.

      He dragged himself into a pair of overalls; again an entirely practical option he had to admit, but, even after weeks of living on the farm, he still felt odd not pulling on a suit. At least they still had his favourite toothpaste.

      Heading for the meeting space, he passed several members of the community just standing, in groups or alone, smiling up at the sky. Not everyone seemed relaxed though; Rob, Christine, and one of the latest arrivals, Barry or something similar, were deep in conversation, and, from their faces, they found the lack of apocalypse as unexpected as Jason did. It felt good to know he was not alone in doubting.

      Porridge for breakfast, the same as every day. His digestion was probably having a party, but his heart still wanted a pastry and a good espresso. On the bright side, society would start coming together again, so someone would start baking luxuries again. It might be tedious, but the energy would be necessary. Ho hum, ho hum, it’s off to work we come, he thought, collecting a pick from the pile and heading out.

      Jason.

      He stopped, and turned to face Uncle Frank. Well, Uncle-in-law. Morning.

      Come and help me take a look at the transmission on the tractor.

      Jason felt a cold flush run down his back. I’m supposed to be helping break up the ground in the lower fields.

      Fields have been there since forever. They’ll still be there later.

      I’m not mechanical. Maybe—

      Just need someone to pass tools while I’m under.

      Jason took a deep breath. He could do this. Sure. All I need for that is hands.

      Jason wiped the sweat from his brow. The sight of Frank’s legs sticking out from under the tractor had nearly frozen him, but somehow he had managed to pass enough of the right tools not to embarrass himself completely. He was glad to be back to his assigned task though.

      Unlike the fields next to the farm, the mouth of the valley had always been sheep grazing, so it was filled with stones, and rock-hard even in wet weather. In the summer heat it was like hard labour. He looked up at the lip of the valley. At least breaking the ground for new planting was safe. He still remembered his one shift walking the perimeter. The crags were jagged, practically impassable, so walking around the edge looking for any sign of people had been as hard on the nerves as the body.

      Good morning, Jason. Lost in thought, he had not noticed Reverend Forbes approach. A fine morning to be tilling the soil, it is not?

      Morning, Reverend. Reverend Forbes was dressed in crumpled overalls like everyone else, and was pulling a cart laden with bottles of water.

      Please Jason, Greg is fine. ‘Reverend’ is for the church. Out in the fields we are all just working toward the common good.

      "It seems disrespectful. Especially now I know you have a direct line

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