So Deep in Shadow: Short Stories

By Markus McDowell

A collection of short stories about the extremes we often find ourselves in—sometimes of our own making. Each story uses the adverb "so" in its title, emphasizing the extreme function of the following adjectives (tired, snowy, long, alive, dense, rude…). McDowell uses fantasy, literary fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction genres to capture his explorations of the human experience. 

• "So Dense" — An unusually dense fog—and a blind woman who seems to know more than climate scientists.
• "So Snowy" — Santa? Is that you? 
• "So Humane" — The 'louison' was invented by the French as a humane method of execution…who went first?
• "So Quiet" — What if you came back from vacation unable to speak to certain people?

…and six more unusual and engaging stories by Markus McDowell.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Riversong Books
• Release date: Jan 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781958139110

Markus McDowell

Markus McDowell is an author & editor. He lives on a boat and travels extensively, writing novels, short stories, travel reviews, and more. Markus holds a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary and a law degree from the University of London, and has lectured at universities in the US, Europe, and the UK.  In addition to fiction, he writes nonfiction and academic works in law, theology, and literature in the ancient world.

Book preview

cover-image, So Deep in Shadow: Short Storiee

So Deep in Shadow

Short Stories

Markus McDowell

An Imprint of Sulis International Press

Los Angeles | Dallas | London

SO DEEP IN SHADOW: SHORT STORIES

Copyright ©2022 by Markus McDowell. All rights reserved.

Except for brief quotations for reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher. Email: [e-mail].

Cover photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels.com. Cover design by Keri MacElroy.

ISBN (print): 978-1-958139-12-7

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-958139-11-0

Published by Riversong Books

An Imprint of Sulis International

Los Angeles | Dallas | London

www.sulisinternational.com

Other books by Markus McDowell from Riversong Books

To and From Upon the Earth: A Novel

Onesimus: A Novel of Christianity in the Roman Empire

The Sky Over Chaos: Short Stories

Mortals As They Walk

For Elisa

Contents

So Dense

So Humane

So Kind

So Long

So Rude

So Snowy

So Sweet

So Tired

So Quiet

So Alive

AFTERWORD

There is nowhere so dark, so deep in shadow…

—Job 34.22

So Dense

He looked up from the journal he was reading as she shuffled into the room with her cane.

Hey, Mom. I’m here in my chair.

Oh! I didn’t hear you come in. What are you doing home? She went and sat in her chair with the ease of long practice. So effortlessly, a stranger might think she was sighted.

It’s Thursday.

That’s right, she said. Your research and reading day. I lose track. What are you working on? Some fascinating new idea in nephrology?

He sighed. "Mom. It’s nephology. I study cloud formation and atmosphere, not the liver."

She cackled. I know. And no one calls it nephology.

True. So how long will you keep misnaming my field with a term that is no longer used?

Until I die. Just to keep you humble. Scientists always think their particular field is the most important of all.

Well, you’re not wrong, he said with a chuckle. What have you been doing?"

Oh, just wandering to and fro upon the earth.

You’re so strange, mom. What does that even mean?

Exactly what it says.

Sometimes I don’t understand you. She laughed as her son shook his head.

She picked up one of her braille books and opened to a bookmark. What are you working on, dear?

Nothing in particular at the moment. Just keeping up. A new article from a scientist at the Cern CLOUD facility, describing some of her work in the effects of the solar cycle and cosmic rays on cloud formation.

Not research for your dissertation?

Not…directly. But I have to keep up in the field.

More important to finish your doctorate.

Good God, Mom, are you actually telling me to do my homework? I’m twenty-eight years old.

She smiled again. But you still need your mom.

True. He returned the smile. I do.

Satisfied, she began sliding her finger over the book. They sat in silence for some time, until he finished the article and stood up. Almost noon. Going to go check the weather.

He lay the journal on the table beside the chair and went through the dining room. As he slid open the glass doors to the balcony, he gasped.

What is it? his mom called. Her hearing was much better than most people. Among other things.

Fog! Like I’ve never seen it!

He ran back in to grab his tablet so he could read the data from his weather station mounted on the roof. As he sat down, he glanced at his mother. What are you smiling about? he asked.

She shrugged. Nothing. Blindess is such a gift.

❖

The car drove up the curving concrete ramp, tires squishing with a slight squeal. Reaching the roof of the parking garage, it headed to the opposite end. There was only one other the car in the entire lot, so the driver sped more than safety would warrant.

Across the way, high up in a hotel room, a man watched. He could barely see the car through the fog.

A woman sat in the other car, tapping on her phone.

Two birds sailed from high above, like tiny pterodactyls in the eerie light. They circled a tall apartment building, then swooped down to glide low across the shorter buildings, disappearing into the fog as they glided towards the bay.

A man got out of the car, now parked, and pulled his jacket close around him. As if on cue, the woman put her phone away and stepped out of her car. They both walked towards a stairway at the far corner.

Hi, Penelope.

Hello, Juan. I was just enjoying the fog.

He motioned her ahead of him at the stairs. Yes, thicker than normal at this time of year.

True. Although it's also been colder this time of year.

By the way, did you see the new job numbers?

I did. A disaster. This administration has no idea what they are doing.

Oh, I don’t know. They are still trying to stop the decline from the last administration’s policies.

It’s been a year, and it’s gotten worse. We’ll see.

❖

The captain of the fishing boat muttered as he examined the screens above the helm.

What is it, Skipper?

He frowned. Haven't seen fog this thick for a long time in this harbor. Might should've layed off a bit.

The First Mate peered out the window. I still can't see the docks. How close are we?

Less than a quarter of a mile.

I can't even see any of the big buildings.

The captain looked up and peered into the white expanse. I think I can see the top of some building right there.

Don’t think so… The First Mate stared where the Captain was pointing. That just looks like a darker bank of fog. See how it curves on the right?

Maybe. He looked back down at the instruments. I can tell by the depth and the radar where we are, but if this was an unfamiliar port, I wouldn't risk it. Hey, did you get someone to take a look at the davit?

His shipmate frowned. You told me you had already called someone to meet us there.

No, I didn’t. I told you to make sure you called someone to meet us there.

An award silence ensued. Sorry, Skipper, I guess I misunderstood. His tone said otherwise, but his words respected the chain-of-command. I’ll go call now. He fished his phone out of his pocket and headed aft.

The woman stood at the waterfront walkway, staring out into the bay. Not that she could see anything. To the left, the sea faded into a white-gray nothingness about 100 feet away. As if someone had airbrushed the world out of existence.

It felt as if the air was packed in cotton. Fitting, she said aloud. The word was enveloped and disappeared. She smiled grimly. Like dad. One week, he was here: alive, working around the house, telling his funny stories, and then—

She wanted to avoid reliving that event, but it came flowing back. Finding him collapsed in the garage. The paramedics. He squeezed her hand before they lifted the gurney. Her long, fearful drive to the hospital. And that was it. Forever.

She had told him he needed help. Repeatedly, until he yelled, Let me be! He had