Away with the Fishes

by Stephanie Siciarz

  While Ms. Lila lovingly prepares him kingfish in coconut cream, Raoul will trim his Playful Rose in Coconut Cloud—never knowing that the lone ghostly plume in the sky overhead, was once a star-crossed Captain whose piano took him home. Or a tiny questing pirate, destined for an island named Oh.

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  Rainbow Fair Rained Out

  Rainbow City cancels annual festival

  For the first time in Oh’s history, the Rainbow Fair was destined not to be. The yearly outdoor event, a two-day homage to the rainbows visible from the town of Chanterelle, famed for its sunny skies when neighboring areas are getting drenched, had to be called off due to inclement weather. It is widely accepted that the circular rainbow, or halo, visible around the sun in Port-St. Luke only two days prior to the Fair is to blame. Halos have long been considered harbingers of significant weather occurrences, such as floods or droughts, though up to now no such occurrence had ever been officially or specifically connected to a halo on Oh. This newspaper, which recently attained international renown for its coverage of the so-called Bicycle Trial, in which local fisherman Madison Fuller was cleared of charges he had murdered his girlfriend, is pleased to report the first documented incidence of an indisputably halo-triggered meteorological disturbance. In so doing, it scientifically sanctions what islanders have known all along: a rainbow around the sun is just too much. Such beauty is bound to take its toll. Organizers of this year’s Fair had hoped the halo would mean good luck for the Rainbow City and had banked on record-breaking attendance figures, which, sadly, they attained. In a bizarre twist of island conditions as only Oh can twist them, by Sunday evening, as the weekend of the illfated Fair drew to a close, the skies suddenly and strangely cleared up, postponing the rainy season indefinitely. The officials of Chanterelle, when asked if they would consider holding the event at a later date, declined to comment. Speaking on condition of anonymity, however, a senior member of the town council confirmed that no Fair would take place this year, citing as the reason the clouds themselves, which, he claims, are not the mere wispy slivers they seem.

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  Acknowledgments

  This book began with a dented bike on a rainy country road. A bike that took Raoul and Captain Dagmore, and their story, to Europe, the Caribbean, and across the United States, before it finally decided it was home. For directions en route, I would like to thank authors Janice Hally and Peter May; readers (and faith-keepers) Priya Balasubramanian and Dee LeRoy; and the cheerleaders—Michelle Italia, Marie Lamoureux, Kari Winter, and all the others, found and familiar—who crossed my path and made it sunny. You are too many to list here, and that makes me lucky, indeed.

  I have been blessed by the talents of Andrew C Bly (cover design) and Patti Schermerhorn (cover art) not once now, but twice; and forever by the generosity of my mother, MaryAnn Siciarz, without whom I would have no stories to tell.

  For all of you, and for the ride, my gratitude is heartfelt and boundless; my love, to the fishes and back.

  About the Author

  Stephanie Siciarz was born in the US and is a graduate of Georgetown University and The Johns Hopkins University. She is a writer and translator and has worked for high-ranking officials in international, government, and academic institutions in the US and Europe. She currently resides in Ohio, where she is on the faculty at Kent State University. Her debut novel, Left at the Mango Tree, was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2013.