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Issue 181 Volume 18 February 2014
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Editorial
Dan L. Hollifield
The Senior Editor's usual rants about whatever…
Serials and Long Fiction
Best Long Fiction of 2013
Selected by Serials Editor McCamy Taylor
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Sugarhouse
Adam "Bucho"
Rodenberger
A psychological horror piece about a man with amnesia who can’t form new memories. By day, his wife tries to help him get
better, but each night he forgets all that he has learned the day before. Who is the mystery girl who visits him each night, and what
is her role in his amnesia?
Good Night, Timmy
Rick
Grehan
Timmy can’t talk, and he does not have any friends. However, that is about to change, thanks to an extra-terrestrial
artifact.
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Cutters and Crazies
Jason
Wisecup
How does one find a person who is everyone and no one, in all places and nowhere? ADULT CONTENT.
The Light From Below
Rick
Grehan
They were warned not the dam up the river to build a lake. But did they listen? No. Now the insurance adjuster's job is to
piece together what happened to the lake and its wealthy builder. This is not the Johnstown Flood. This is something much more
sinister.
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When Angels Dare to Weep
Barney E. Abrams
Ulira is a Weeper. Her one function is to cry tears that have the power to heal her Serpentine masters. When she runs out of
tears, she will turn to stone. It has always been that way for her kind. However, things are about to change in Paradise.
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And a brand-new shared universe here at Aphelion, one years in the making. Here's the complete story so far…
The Aphelion Project
Bill Wolfe,
Casey Callaghan, J. Davidson Hero, Richard Tornello, Robert Moriyama, William R. Warren, Jr., and N.J. Kailhofer
12 SOULS — THE RED PLANET — ONE DESTINY …STILL BEING WRITTEN
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Short Stories
January - February Short Stories
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The Writers Workshop
Kurt
Heinrich Hyatt
There was something… different… about Ms. Merkel's writing—something too good to be true.
Parasitic
Roderick D. Turner
Parasites can suck the life out of their hosts. In this case, only too well.
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The Dead Circle
Caleb Collier
A trip to the everglades took Bruce to somewhere he never expected: a dance.
Greybark
Steve Foreman
A family uprooted can have grave consequences.
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 Hunters
Sergio Palumbo
Your waitress and bartender have seen it all before. They've got your back…
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Best Short Stories of 2013
Selected by Short Stories Editor Nate Kailhofer
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Selling Ghosts
Alex Puncekar
Veri could scarcely believe her eyes as the ragamuffin peddler stopped in front of her, a coffin on his back.
Midnight Cross Road
Nathan Boutwell
Even Satan himself can get the blues.
The Plague Merchants
Kurt
Heinrich Hyatt
A beer-swilling android and an attractive, uptight virologist try to save the Kloakan people.
Blue Plate Special
Kate Thornton
Everything came with a price, but this bill was staggering
Maggie's Farm
Charles
Ebert
Always think twice before looking through the peephole
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Intelligent Drain-o
Rick
Grehan
A call from Uncle Mike could only mean one thing: it was time for Rick to update his insurance coverage.
Incomplete Cathedral
Daniel Nathan Horn
The crash survivors pressed on until they both found and lost themselves in the most unusual of places.
Little Green Things
William R. Warren, Jr.
The latest installment in a new shared universe series, The Aphelion Project.
Santa's Amazing Mind Control
Machine
McCamy Taylor
Something didn't fit together right in Cindy's life, and Santa was involved.
Your Sleep is My Sleep
Dimitrije Medenica
Professor Phil Kaltwasser felt the relentless tug of old age. If only there was a way to feel more rested…
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Flash Fiction
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: This month we are debuting Aphelion's new flash fiction section. We are now accepting
submissions of original flash fiction to be published in this section in future issues. Submission guidelines can be found in our
submission section or clicking here.
We also host a monthly flash contest in Aphelion's forum. The contest can be found in the "Fun and Games"
folder. The contest is a great place to hone your writing skills, meet some fellow writers, receive some feedback, and possibly win a
prize. Submissions for the contest are done through the forum. Flash stories from all of our previous contests are archived in the forum as
well.
The title for the next challenge is "Welcome to Gondwanaland." The contest will begin in the forum on February
2nd. There is a $20 prize for the winner provided our mysterious anonymous patron.
Results of Forum Flash Challenge for December 2013
Congratulations to Richard Tornello, winner of the "Christmas Crytid" challenge. Read the winning
story, "Carmella," and three more tales of crytids.
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Results of Forum Flash Challenge for January 2014
Congratulations to Michele Dutcher, winner of the "Almost No Holds Barred" challenge. Read the winning
story, "Poseidon's Lament," and three more fantastic flash stories.
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Best Flash Contest Stories of 2013
Selected by Flash Editor John Rose — NOT necessarily the 'winners' based on votes submitted!
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The Green Grass of
Home
Michele Dutcher
The challenge was to tell the story of a human in love with a monster.
The Things We Do For Love
I.Verse
The challenge was to tell the story of a human in love with a monster.
The Good Image
George T.
Philibin
The challenge was to write a science fiction story where the protagonist has a twin and the twin is the protagonist's literary
foil.
Zone Defense
Robert
Moriyama
The challenge was to write a science fiction story where the protagonist has a twin and the twin is the protagonist's literary
foil.
Wreckers
I.Verse
The challenge was to write a science fiction story involving pirates.
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Tandoristé Sunset
Jay
Hill
The challenge was to write a science fiction story involving pirates.
Caveat Emptor
Iain Muir
The challenge was to write a horror or weird fiction story that makes use of the evil book, The Libro di Sinistro.
Backscratching…
Sergio
Palumbo
The challenge was to write a horror or weird fiction story that makes use of the evil book, The Libro di Sinistro.
Love Never Dies
Michele
Dutcher
The challenge was to write a speculative fiction flash story that was inspired a myth.
Carmella
Richard Tornello
The challenge was to write a speculative fiction story that included a cryptid and a holiday.
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Poetry and Filk Music
Best Poetry and Filk of 2013
A short note on the use of the word 'best.' These are the pieces that the Poetry Editor liked best of
last year's selection. Not everyone will agree with me. Feel free to nominate others on the forum pages! Rather than "the ten
best," let us say that here are "ten of the best" of 2013. Enjoy...
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Articles and features
Alas, there were no feature articles this month.
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Aphelion Webzine is © 1999-2023 by Dan L. Hollifield
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