by Jeff Strand
* * * * *
Hikari and Hayao walked back to Seattle, both human, hand in hand.
* * * * *
In the years that followed, once a week, Hikari visited her parents’ graves and brought them fresh flowers and stories of her life. Eventually, years later, she brought her own son and daughter as well. They could picture her parents from her treasured photographs, but went grudgingly. They found their mother old-fashioned and foolish, as all subsequent generations do.
However, Hikari, unlike her mother, thought there were some traditions and superstitions that should be followed exactly, and others that benefited from updating, as times changed. There was magic in the world, but all things thought to be magic were not. Her tea might have been weaker in some regards compared to the old woman’s, but she had not lost a friend for it. Some superstitions were just that. Her children wouldn’t really wet their beds if they played with fire. That was just a tale to keep children safe.
She forgave herself for any hurt she had caused her parents by disrespecting them, and let go of the question of whether she had unnaturally hastened their deaths.
The tea house, which she was eventually able to buy from her father’s partner, prospered as long as Japantown prospered, but that too ended many years later as the world changed and the place of the Japanese immigrants with it.
* * * * *
And this was life, she reflected, sharing a cup of tea with Hayao, who was both her dearest friend and the father of her children, as they sat together in the cramped space of an internment camp. Though they both thought of how his magic might have helped in this dark time, neither regretted the choices they had made.
It was not necessarily happily ever after, this life, but a deep warm swallow of gain and loss, of koicha and usucha, strong and weak, thick and thin, old and new, bitter and sweet, magical and mundane. And like tea itself, most satisfying when shared.
DID YOU ENJOY THIS BOOK?
Let us know by posting a review at Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. And be sure to tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about this and other titles from Evil Jester Press
THE QUARRY
Mark Allan Gunnells Trade Paperback $13.95 Kindle eBook $2.99
“Mark Allen Gunnells is ready to thrill fans once again with his tale of ancient evil, The Quarry. Once this beast of a book gets its hooks in you, it won’t let go. Gunnells’ voice is stronger than ever and instantly recognizable as his own—the first sign of a truly great writer. Count me in as a big fan, already looking forward to the next one!” –James Newman, author of Midnight Rain and Animosity
EVIL JESTER DIGEST VOLUME ONE
Edited by Peter Giglio Trade Paperback $9.95 Kindle eBook $2.99
10 Stunning Stories from the Masters and Rising Stars of Horror Fiction.
GPS by Rick Hautala
DUST DEVIL by Gary Brandner
SHARPE IS EXTRAORDINARY by David Dunwoody
THE GIRL WHO DROWNED by Tracy L. Carbone
DUST AT THE CENTER OF ALL THINGS by John F.D. Taff
LOOK BEHIND YOU by Eric Shapiro
LONE WOLF by Gregory L. Norris
WIDDERSHINS by Hollie Snider
A GENTLEMAN'S FOLLY by Phil Hickes
And the novelette THE END OF AUTUMN by Aric Sundquist.
MOONDEATH
Rick Hautala Trade Paperback $17.95 Kindle eBook $2.99
“One of the best horror novels I’ve read in the last two years!”
– Stephen King (1980)
“Rick Hautala’s writing shines with dedication, hard earned craft, and devotion” –Peter Straub
For the first time in more than twenty years, New York Times Bestselling novelist Rick Hautala’s first novel is back in print! With cover art by the legendary Glenn Chadbourne and an all new introduction from bestselling author Christopher Golden, the Evil Jester Press edition of Moondeath is a must have for every horror fan.
The Fierce and Unforgiving Muse
Gregory L. Norris Trade Paperback $19.95 Kindle eBook $3.99
Twenty-six tales from the terrifying mind of Gregory L. Norris.
“In my experience of seven years on Voyager, I do not believe I have encountered a writer for whom I have greater respect in terms of intelligence, understanding, and talent. There is no one more capable to pen such a volume as Muse and, also, to do it so beautifully.” –Kate Mulgrew, Star Trek: Voyager
HELP! WANTED: Tales of On-the-Job Terror
Edited by Peter Giglio Trade Paperback $14.95 Kindle eBook $2.99
“Help! Wanted is a rollicking, creepy, crazy, and thoroughly unnerving collection of work-related horror stories by the cream of today’s horror crop. Each story is as stingingly fresh as a razor cut!” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times Bestselling author of Dust & Decay and Patient Zero
Features stories by Stephen Volk, Jeff Strand, Joe McKinney, Gary Brandner, Lisa Morton, Vince A. Liaguno, Mark Allan Gunnells, David Dunwoody, Amy Wallace, Scott Bradley, Eric Shapiro, Gregory L. Norris, and many more!
Cameron’s Closet
Gary Brandner Trade Paperback $13.95 Kindle eBook $2.99
Brandner’s classic horror novel returns to print! Features an all new introduction from Joe McKinney.
Balance (a zombie novella)
Peter Giglio Trade Paperback $9.95
“Balance is a grim and melancholy zombie story. Peter Giglio brings his A-game to this disturbing tale.” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times Bestselling author of Dead of Night and Dust & Decay
“A harrowing new perspective on the apocalypse. Giglio goes for the heart as well as the jugular.” –David Dunwoody, author of Empire’s End and Unbound & Other Tales
THE BLAST
A worldwide snowstorm that brings with it a terminal virus.
THE DEAD
Rise!
But something deep within hasn’t died. The thing they loved most when alive still burns bright, at odds with a predacious hunger they can’t control or understand.
GEOFF & AMANDA Have survived The Blast. The bad news: 650 miles of treacherous, zombie infested road separates them.
And time is running out for Amanda!
Short of a Picnic
Eric Shapiro Trade Paperback $9.95 Kindle eBook $2.99
A brilliant collection by the acclaimed author of The Devoted and Stories for the End of the World. Twelve stories. Twelve troubled minds.
Table of Contents
jeremycshipp.com