Gravemound
By Kim Fielding
()
About this ebook
Grimm in spaaaaace!
In this retelling of a classic fairy tale, Phineas Coleman is stranded on a planet far from home and must find a way to support himself in this new land. A selfish local man offers to help him with a livelihood if Phin will promise to protect him from a soul-reaper. Three nights alone while watching over a gravemound sounds like a terrifying chore—until Phin receives some unexpected assistance.
Kim Fielding
Kim Fielding is pleased every time someone calls her eclectic. Her books span a variety of genres, but all include authentic voices and unconventional heroes. She’s a Rainbow Award and SARA Emma Merritt winner, a LAMBDA finalist, and a two-time Foreword INDIE finalist. She has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and currently lives in California, where she long ago ran out of bookshelf space. A university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full-time, she also dreams of having two daughters who occasionally get off their phones, a husband who isn’t obsessed with football, and a cat who doesn’t wake her up at 4:00 a.m. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others. Blogs: kfieldingwrites.com and www.goodreads.com/author/show/4105707.Kim_Fielding/blog Facebook: www.facebook.com/KFieldingWrites Email: kim@kfieldingwrites.com Twitter: @KFieldingWrites
Read more from Kim Fielding
Staged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astounding! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Potential Energy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Regifted Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTreasure Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Housekeeping Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Christmas Present Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caroled: A Bureau Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Festivus Miracle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dog Days of December Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrateful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Phoenix Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Motel. Pool. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dear Ruth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alaska Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Great Miracle Happened There Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Muffin Man Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Border Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Gravemound
Related ebooks
Where a Wave Meets the Shore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secret Chord: Conor McBride International Mystery Series, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cloud Forest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Year of Jubilee Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBen: : Amie prequel series book 2, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlay It Again Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYuletide’s Christmas Treasures: Yuletide Village, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Menagerie of Jenkins Bailey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPicker's Bleed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThere's No Such Thing As Werewolves: Demon Gate Chronicles, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlpaca and Apparitions: Windflower, #3 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Story of the Amulet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Carpetbaggers of Mbantua Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Year of Jubilee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Garden Path: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mystery of the Museum: A Pip and Beth Detective Adventure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWinter Fun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhispers From Behind The Cellar Door: Twelve Terrifying Tales to Take You into the Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Indifference of Stars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Birth of a Grandfather: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDinosaur Lake VI: The Alien Connection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDinosaur Lake VI: The Alien Connection: Dinosaur Lake, #6 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bewitched Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fires of Summer Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Not Much Honour Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Long Walk to Wimbledon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Little Blessing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sisters of Blue Mountain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Truth Hurts: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coming Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
LGBTQIA+ Romance For You
The Charm Offensive: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maurice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: by Taylor Jenkins Reik - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrgy: A Short Story About Desire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Broken Blade Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bossy: An Erotic Workplace Diary Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Him: Him, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Worth the Wait Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5AITA? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love and Pleasure: A Steamy Lesbian Romance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coming Out: 14 Erotica Closet Gay Bundle Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Thieving Threesome Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Visitor: a Friendly MMF Ménage Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swap Tales: Substitute Girlfriend Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Blood of the Pack Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Queer Atmospheres: Gay, Lesbian and Queer Romance Stories from Imogen Markwell-Tweed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rough Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chef's Kiss: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Us: Him, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once Upon a Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Backwoods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three for Three: Friendly MMF Menage Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Governor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roller Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Olive Juice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Consort Academy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Reality of Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Most Ardently Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Gravemound
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Gravemound - Kim Fielding
Phineas crouched as he heated the salvaged electrical cord with utmost caution, holding it the perfect height above the fire, keeping his hand steady, being patient. Just a moment more and the metal interior would soften the right amount, and then—
Shit!
The sap-filled firewood had popped, sending up a shower of sparks and burning his hand. He reflexively dropped the cord, which landed on glowing coals. He pulled it out immediately, ignoring the additional damage to his skin, but it was too late. The insulation was charred beyond rescue and the delicate metal had warped and blobbed. With a strangled cry of frustration, he heaved the cord away. It landed on the dirt floor with a thud and slight sizzle.
With a sigh so deep it hurt, Phineas rose to his feet and crossed the small room to a wobbly little table. He poured some water from the clay pitcher onto one of the rough cloths he used as a towel and wrapped the damp fabric around his burned hand. Then he walked wearily to his cot and plopped down with a groan. Stop wasting your time,
he scolded himself. You’re never getting off this hunk of rock.
He’d lost track of time and had no idea what season it was back home, far across the galaxy, countless light-years away. So he closed his eyes and pretended it was autumn, that perfect time of year when the air carried strong hints of cold days to come and the two suns slanted their mellow golden rays, warming even glass and steel. In past autumns, he and Somboon had arisen early on their days off and enjoyed brunch at a little café near the apartment. Then they hopped into an airpod for their reservation at one of the virtual nature reserves, where they hiked through holograms of forests, the leaves gloriously colored and the appropriate scents and sounds piped in. Then Phin and Somboon had zoomed home, showered, zapped something tasty for dinner, and cuddled in front of a vid. Sometimes they hadn’t bothered to convert the couch into a bed before making love and falling asleep.
Way to torture yourself,
Phin growled. At least he’d intended it as a growl; it came out more like a plea. He knew he shouldn’t dwell on the past, but it was painful to see the last grains of hope slip through his fingers. His burned, dirty fingers.
He allowed himself to wallow for a few minutes before standing and shuffling to the shelves where he stored his worldly goods. Back when he’d been learning how to light his hearth fire and cook over it, Scapaurr the herbalist had given him a little pot of burn salve. It was gooey stuff that smelled like mud, but it worked amazingly well. Almost like magic. After he rinsed his hand with the pitcher, he gingerly smoothed on some of the gunk. The sting of the burns faded almost at once and the angry red marks disappeared.
Phin looked at the charred, mangled cord with bits of its violently purple insulation still intact—a shade and texture rarely found in nature. It clearly didn’t belong in this place. Didn’t belong on this planet. Just like him.
Well, I’m not quite ready to give up on myself yet.
Phin picked up the cord and walked through the open doorway into the front yard. Lots of green things were poking up through the dirt, possibly all weeds. But some of them might be survivors from his hut’s last resident, holdovers from a kitchen garden perhaps. He should ask someone. Maybe some of the seedlings would turn out to be flowers, which would be nice. He had vague memories of flowers last summer.
He and Somboon used to fantasize about being wealthy enough to afford an apartment with some outdoor space—maybe a little balcony where they could grow a few things in pots and sit with their morning tea. Now Phin had so much outdoor space that he couldn’t see his nearest neighbors. Yay,
he mumbled.
He tossed the cord onto the goodly pile of other failures. Tomorrow he’d carry them out to the crash site where they could rejoin the remains of his ship. That seemed more appropriate than littering the countryside with bits of alien plastic and metal.
It was time to decide how he was going to support himself for the rest of his life.
Back home—and dammit, he needed to stop thinking of that place as home—he’d been a lawyer. That earned him enough to pay his half of the bills, and he was also good at playing vid games, making coffee, and doing 3-D crossword puzzles. None of those skills were the slightest bit useful in this place, where electricity, writing, and lawsuits hadn’t been invented, and where coffee