Shallow Waters Vol.2: Shallow Waters, #2

By Chad Lutzke

In Shallow Waters Vol.2, hidden realms are revealed, where shadows dance and the line between life and death is blurred. Dive deep into twenty-five unsettling tales that resonate with the pain and mysteries enveloped within our existence, unveiling the beauty lurking beneath each horrifying revelation.

Shallow Waters stands as a manifestation of Crystal Lake Entertainment's visionary flash fiction contest. Every month, the call of the enigmatic shadows beckons writers to weave narratives teeming with the unknown. Only the most stirring are granted passage to Crystal Lake's Patreon page, a stage where aficionados and connoisseurs savor and decree the champions. This anthology presents to you the crème de la crème of these spectral tales, the ones that engraved their essence on the souls of the audience.

Stay attuned for further explorations into the obscured, or traverse the macabre with Crystal Lake on Patreon, shaping the fates of upcoming volumes with your discerning gaze.

Volume two harbors tales steeped in horror, thrillers, and suspense, exploring themes of life after death, the supernatural, and the chilling beauty underlying the macabre. Featuring works by notable authors, each story is a haunting symphony resonating with the mystique and allure of the unseen.

In this volume, you'll traverse narratives where:

• The ghost of a loved one brings a poignant message on the eve of her funeral.
• A tale of fraternal love morphs into a haunting echo of resentment.
• Ancient entities find their existence threatened by the growth of malevolent beings.
• A man, desperate to escape his pursuer, finds unforeseen assistance from a valiant knight.
• A grieving mother captures the essence of her son in a peculiar, unforgettable manner.
• A confrontation with the phantoms of the past reveals the unforgiving nature of memory.
• A grieving woman's attempt to defy death leads her to the intricate dance of life and loss.
• A battle between humans and the undead culminates in an unexpected twist.

Shallow Waters Vol.2 invites you to cross the threshold into realms untold, to glimpse the intertwined dance of sorrow and elegance. Embark on this haunting journey and unveil the myriad facets of existence in its most raw and enigmatic form.

Will you brave the shadows to uncover the stories lurking within?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
• Release date: Jul 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9798223163558

Book preview

Shallow Waters

A Flash Fiction Anthology Vol. 2

Compiled and Edited by Joe Mynhardt

Published by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from The Darkest Depths

www.CrystallakePub.com

Copyright 2019 Crystal Lake Publishing

Join the Crystal Lake community today

on our newsletter and Patreon!

Download our latest catalog here.

All Rights Reserved

Cover art:

Ben Baldwin – http://www.benbaldwin.co.uk

Proofread by:

Naching Kassa

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors’ imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction by Joe Mynhardt

Night Swimming by Michael O’Brien

Hush Little Baby by Matt Shaw

The Vessel by Mark Allan Gunnells

The Southland by Pedro Iniguez

Biter of Dust by Austin James (winner)

Gently Used by Jonah Buck

Ollie Visits Grandma by Mark Cassell

The Water Tower Ghost by Darryl Foster

Standing Tall by Kenneth W. Cain

The Only Thing That Remains by Jess Landry

(Almost) Joined at The Hip by Dan Weatherer

Remy and the Elephant by Linsey Knerl

She Fluttered by Andrew Garvey

Just A Cup of Coffee by Theresa Derwin

Malignant by Steve Thompson & Kenneth W. Cain

Welcome to the Future by Diana Grove

Makes Three by Michael Harris Cohen & Mark Allan Gunnells (winner)

A Tea Party for the Dead by Dani Brown & David Charlesworth

A Game of Hide and Seek by Joe X Young

The Allotment by Theresa Derwin

Hourglass by Chad Lutzke & John Boden

The End of the War by Joseph Mulak

Long Distance Cull by Tony Logan & Red Lagoe

To Stop Further Slaughter by Raymond Gates

Baited by Chad A. Clark

Curtain Call by Raven Dane (winner)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to Shallow Waters. Welcome to the second volume in Crystal Lake’s series of flash fiction anthologies. If you haven’t read volume 1 yet, be sure to pick it up for free!

For those not familiar with the series, we post a flash fiction challenge on social media every month. Authors then have a few days to write and submit the story within the parameters of the challenge (word count, theme, or perhaps a prompt). The best stories are posted on our Patreon page for our patrons to enjoy. I post one story a day, and at the end of the challenge, patrons would vote for a winner. The winner would, of course, get a cash prize, an author spotlight in our newsletter, and publication. The winners in this specific volume were:

Makes Three by Michael Harris Cohen & Mark Allan Gunnells

Biter of Dust by Austin James

Curtain Call by Raven Dane

Their challenges included themes of life after death and twist endings, as well as the challenge of co-authoring a story.

After voting ends and a winner is chosen, I invite the authors of the most popular submissions to join our series of flash fiction anthologies. So you’ll always be reading the very best of the best.

It’s a great way to reward our patrons with even more great perks, but it constantly proves to be a great source of inspiration for authors who rise to the challenge. It also brings a lot of new traffic to our Patreon page, which is constantly improving to offer readers and/or writers great perks.

So if you’re an author or reader, or just a fan of the genre and independent publishing, be sure to check out our tiers on Patreon. It’s a great place to go behind the scenes of the company while supporting authors, the small press, and this genre we all love so much.

For those not familiar with Patreon, it’s a monthly subscription-based site where you can follow creators in exchange for behind the scenes access, sneak peeks, and perks associated with the tier you pay for. There are a lot of amazing creators there. Just be sure to look for a tier that best fits your needs and wallet.

So welcome once more to Shallow Waters. Welcome to Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Joe Mynhardt

11 July, 2019

Dedicated to Cayleigh Mynhardt, my baby girl. May you always see the world from interesting angles.

Night Swimming

Michael O’Brien

There was movement in the dark corner of the bedroom.

‘Rosie, is that you?’

Light footsteps on the floorboards.

‘Of course, silly. Who else?’

She stepped out of the dark and into a shaft of moonlight. She was nude, her nipples hard and pink, skin pale as cream. He sat up in bed, rubbed sleep from his eyes.

‘What are you doing here?’

She sat on the edge of the mattress. It did not sink an inch.

‘This is still my bed.’

The air was thick with her perfume. He inhaled deeply, relished it.

‘I didn’t think I’d see you till tomorrow.’

She made a face like something rotten was under her nose. ‘I couldn’t wait that long. I wanted to be alone with you. Tomorrow is going to be so damn grim. All of those people looking at me…’

‘Funerals aren’t supposed to be fun, Rosie.’

She frowned,