by Grace, A. E.
Interviewer: Were you surprised when you saw him?
[Everybody nods.]
Dylan: It was disgusting.
Terry: Scary.
Caleb: Like nothing I’d ever seen before.
Interviewer: Can you describe him for me? When you first saw him? Can you try to do it using as few words as possible.
Caleb: Hmm, that’s tough.
Liam: It was like he had melted into the jungle.
Caleb: Yeah.
Interviewer: I don’t understand.
Caleb: You’d have to have been there, Circe. Words will never do it justice. But even so, you can’t shift, you’re not one of us. What we each felt when we saw him, the kind of horror in our hearts? [Touches his chest with a balled fist.] You’ll never truly understand.
Excerpt from full transcript of Interview with a Shapeshifter by Circe Cole. Printed with expressed permission.
*
My interview ends with the six shapeshifters each changing into their forms. I turn around while they undress. It seems the polite thing to do. I can hear it, though, and the sound of the shift is unpleasant. When it is once again silent, I turn around on my heels.
I see Anastasia, a beautiful central-Asian snow leopard; Caleb, the only surviving member of the extinct Bali tiger; Liam, a huge brown bear that captures his broody quality; Terry, a Tibetan sand fox with a lush and intricate coat; Dylan, a slim and efficient moon bear with rich black fur; and finally Sasha, a long, nimble snub-nosed puma.
The six animals stand before me, and they look at me, and I have to feign shock and surprise. They expect that I’ve never seen the shift before, and I have to keep up the charade.
Because I swore to my husband, also a shapeshifter, that I would keep his secret. He made me promise not to tell anyone, even another like him. And I keep my promises. Of course, everybody knows now…
The animals begin to look bored then. They sniff at each other, idly pace, and seem to be communicating to each other in a way that completely and utterly escapes me. Of course it does, I remind myself. I’m just an ordinary human being.
But the exclusive interview with this group of shapeshifters has unveiled a very interesting fact. A shapeshifter can be ‘made’, but only this almost mythical ‘Leon’ character can do it.
I know what I have to do next.
I have to find Leon.
- Excerpt from I Married a Shapeshifter: An Autobiography by Circe Cole. Printed with expressed permission.
Afterword
To this reader,
Thank you for reading this short novel. I hope you enjoyed the story.
When I first conceived of this story, I was instantly in love with the idea of a wolf and a bear duking it out in the middle of the desert. Being so far out of their natural habitats, the clash was just very striking to me. That was basically all I started off with, but (to me, at least), it was too good an image to pass up.
Salty Springs is based loosely off my experiences in the desert city of Alice Springs, located pretty much smack bang in the middle of the Australian desert, and also of Australia, the continent. Of course, I've taken some creative license. In particular, crime is not nearly the problem in Alice Springs that it is made out to be in Salty Springs (though the former does have long-term and entrenched issues, sadly). The ‘suburban sprawl’ is also not quite as pronounced, though the city center really does consist of just a couple of competing supermarkets and a shopping mall!
When I was last in Alice Springs (I've only traveled there once!), I was amazed by just the simple experience of being in a desert. It is hard to describe just how the heat feels, especially when you're standing in the sun. Oppressive would be the wrong word; it's not unpleasant at first, though will definitely get that way if you're inadequately prepared! I was younger, then, and so I suspect that these days, I might enjoy it less.
If you read my last book, A Change to Bear, you’ll know that I’ve spent most of my life traveling. Part of it was out of necessity – my father traveled a lot for work. It’s left an undeniable impression on me, and it is quite evident that bleeds through into my writing. Unfortunately, the truth only extends to scenery, and not sexy men with unbelievable bodies who want to endlessly, um, well, you know...
Anyway, this is starting to sound a bit like a personal blog, so I’m just going to shut up now! If you liked the story, please do leave a review to let others know about it.
My best to you,
A. E. Grace
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About Me
A.E. Grace would travel endlessly, and write even more, if that were possible. But traveling a little, and writing a lot, is something she's quite happy to settle for. With a particular fondness for the paranormal, Grace's stories are rooted in realism, always end on happy terms, and are often infused with her own traveling experience.
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Bear This Heat
Last of the Shapeshifters
By
A.E. Grace
Copyright 2014 by A.E. Grace, Grace Kincade Publishing
Kindle Edition
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental. All characters depicted in this work are adults.
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Kindle Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.