Author
Anya Ow
Phoenix Fate
The woman in crimson phoenix robes stood barefoot on the frozen river, her long black hair streaming in the icy wind. Hairpins and bangles wrought of the finest mutton-fat jade traced a littered path back to the snowy shore. Barely visible against the crest of trees, the glow of…
Swappers
The air was sticky with humidity, hot on my skin. I blinked awake into an unfocused world of colored shapes. Unfamiliarity fed cold panic that shot me awake until I blinked again and remembered. In Chrissy's profile picture, she'd been wearing spectacles. My fault, for not…
Other Life Forms Are The Most Of Our Problems
"Crikey, it's a bit grim here in Canberra, innit?" said the PM as he bulled into the meeting room, peeling his facemask off sweaty skin. The men in the room nodded from where they sat clustered under the coldest vent. "How long have we got?" The deputy PM checked his phone. "The…
If the Apocalypse Happens and CNN Isn't There, Did It Really Happen?
The apocalypse happened to Singapore at 3 am EST on a Thursday. The bridges linking the tiny island-state to Malaysia were severed in half. The few cars on the still-existing side of the bridge crawled to a halt before the void. There were screams. Images were tagged on…
Eight Characters
"It's time," the nurse said. A digital countdown leaped over the wall. 0:99. 0:98. Countdown to the perfect hour. She had been sweating into her pristine white and blue uniform for an hour before this, getting ready. With her round face masked tight, her envy was visible only as…
You Can Summon the Ancient One for Fifteen Dollars
As the circus packed up for the night, Elo bought T'kaarmarekch a drink. They sat near her trailer with cans of cold beer and listened wistfully to the lack of elephants. "I know it was cruel to keep elephants in a circus," T'kaarmarekch signed, their many-petaled mouth rippling…
The Dragon and the Lemon Tree
"The lemon tree is my favorite," confided the Bone Wyrm to Princess Meeka, though its great jaws did not move. Within the echo chamber of her mind, the Wyrmvoice boomed clarion-bright, and Meeka had to fight not to clap her hands over her ears. The closest yellow orb of three on…
Old Mother
"Old Mother," said the teashop's owner, "Why do you still hunt? Your bank is bent under your blade, and you grow thinner by the season. Have you no children to ease your days, no grandchildren?" The teashop owner was not a young man himself. Life on the edge of the Kunlun meant…