FANTASY #6: Lockdown Fantasy: Lockdown, #24

By D. Kershaw

Fantasy adventure stories
 

Differing Points of View by Susan Cornford

Henkie's Fiddle by Vonnie Winslow Crist

Porcelain Perfection by Kimberly Rei

Princess Barbie and the Troll Baby by Shawn M. Klimek

Shrieks in the Snow, Shrieks in the Night by Patrick Winters

The Grand Game by Christopher T. Dabrowski

The Kelpie by Paul Benkendorfer

The Solstice Road Trip by Meera Dandekar 

The Sphinx and the Pegacorn by L.T. Emery

Their World is Ending by Sam Amenn

Waiting For Heaven by Ximena Escobar

Weep by D.M. Burdett

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Hare Press
• Release date: Mar 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224408955

Book preview

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Solstice Road Trip by Meera Dandekar

Weep by D.M. Burdett

The Grand Game by Christopher T. Dabrowski

Differing Points of View by Susan Cornford

The Kelpie by Benkendorfer

Porcelain Perfection by Kimberly Rei

Princess Barbie and the Troll Baby by Shawn M. Klimek

Henkie's Fiddle by Vonnie Winslow Crist

Waiting For Heaven by Ximena Escobar

Shrieks in the Snow, Shrieks in the Night by Patrick Winters

The Sphinx and the Pegacorn by L.T. Emery

Their World is Ending by Sam Amenn

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

The Solstice Road Trip

by Meera Dandekar

Caleb was late.

I had been waiting for him in the school parking lot for two hours. Caleb’s football practice could run late sometimes, so I waited patiently for him. I just hoped he wasn’t wasting time flirting with that cheerleader. I sometimes thought he did it because it annoyed me.

I could finally see him jogging towards me in his jersey. I could smell the sweat on him. It was disgusting. He leaned over me in an attempt to hug me. I slid sideways to avoid him, which made him smirk.

Please tell me you’re going to change, I said. He was looking beside me, into the car.

Did you get everything I told you?

Everything from the list you sent me yesterday at one a.m. Please change.

I will. Let’s drop by my house first. I’ve got some stuff to pick up.

We’re late but sure. Let’s waste more time, I say with annoyance clear in my voice. He tried to grab me, but I moved again. He caught hold of the handle and opened my car door.

Would you relax? I have it all planned out. It takes about twenty hours to get there, right? We’ll have enough time for your shopping. Nothing is going to be closed four days before Christmas. They keep them open. It’s for people like you who like to shop last minute. He winked at me and got into the car. He tapped the window, telling me to hurry up. I hit him on the shoulder blade as I took my seat in the passenger seat.

Caleb got changed into a tank and jeans, which I thought was a stupid idea. I pointed it out to him, but he claimed that his body heat was too high for the cold to penetrate through his skin. The temperature was dropping a couple of degrees every day. It would be freezing by the time it was dark. Good thing I carry extra hoodies, I thought.

We had planned to reach the city first and get some Christmas shopping done. I heard that there were great discounts on everything. We had a reservation in a motel for the night so we could rest and be prepared for the Barn Movie screening the next day. As a child, I always persuaded mom to take me there. I always loved watching black and white movies. They had depth and character. She’d always tell me that it would be fun to go on a road trip, but didn’t allow me to go till I was old enough to drive.

I had forced Caleb to come with me because my mother wouldn’t let me go alone. Don’t go alone. It’s not safe. Why don’t you take Caleb with you? When you were younger, you’d take him everywhere. You used to call him your protector. Do you remember? She didn’t stop talking until I agreed. She wanted me to take a manly figure with me, at least on my first road trip. Caleb hardly qualified as a manly figure, but it was better than getting lost on my first trip. If I get eaten by a bear, my mother knows where to find him.

He didn’t like watching movies, but he loved road trips—this was his fourth one—which made it much easier to convince him to come with me. He also told me how he cancelled all his plans with his friends to come with me on this road trip, for old times’ sake. I was sure he only did it because he missed the long drives he used to go on with his dad.

He also managed to make a list of essentials that we’d need so that we could be prepared for anything that could go wrong on this trip. It mostly included things from the experiences that happened to him on road trips. That included carrying large, empty bottles to pee in. I didn’t even want to hear that story.

***

The drive was lonely as we headed out of the city. We weren’t talking much now. It was something that never happened. We always had something to say to each other. I looked out of the window at the houses that we left behind. Caleb turned up the volume on the radio. It played a couple of sappy songs. Being silent was much better than awkward conversations, so I leaned my head against the closed window. I closed my eyes as the golden sun hit my face.

The concrete road was fading into an earthy grey. We were halfway there. It was getting dark fast. The sun was at the brim of the horizon as we moved past it. I put my hand out of the window as the dusk took over. I felt the