Come in under the shadow of this red rock

Come in under the shadow of this red rock is a story written by Phun Saa for the illustration Spirits by SemeSadique. It ran in Issue 72 at http://www.shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/come-in-under-the-shadow-of-this-red-rock/ .

Author's Notes

Thank you so much to SemeSadique for such a gorgeous prompt. It grabbed on to my mind and refused to let go through some really tumultuous times that definitely would’ve killed a lesser compulsion in me. Thank you as well to both of my incredibly patient beta readers, who gave me some excellent suggestions and insights, and were absolutely unflappable in the face of my need for immediate turnaround time.

What is there to say about a story hammered out directly under deadline? I should acknowledge the clear debts I owe to “The Fall of the Kings,” by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, “The Waste Land,” by T.S. Elliot, and “Polaris: Chivalric Tragedy at the Utmost North,” by Ben Lehman. I wrote most of this while staring at a dead orchid.