Author
Beth Cato
Prognostiqueso
Callie's grandmother had made a practice of reading the future in tea leaves. Callie did the same in leftover crumbs of cheese. Her careworn store, The Once and Future Cheese Shop, was intimate, with space for a few tables before broad windows that looked onto Main Street. That…
To Meet the Death Carriage
The old storybook from the attic had said the only way a living person could intercept the death carriage was to stand where three roads met beneath a full moon after a day that held a rainbow. Janey had waited months for the perfect moment to come, and used that time to write…
Your Cat
Your past is now your future. You have traveled thirty years back in time to save your cat. Child-you penciled this pivotal date and time in a diary decorated with unicorn stickers, and here you are. Again. You're shaky with nerves as you stare at your childhood home with…
Perilous Blooms
I had almost become accustomed to the stench of sickness, horrible as it was, but I could never accept the sight of my small granddaughter perched bedside as she clutched her mother's limp hand. Nezra's brow was furrowed, eyes squinted shut as her lips mouthed breathy words.…
The Best Horses Are Found in the Sea, and Other Horse Tales to Emerge Since the Rise
The residents of Morro greeted me with understandable hesitance. My clothes and accent marked me as a traveler from distant Tehachapi, and saying that I came from the university in search of horse stories made me even more suspect. City denizens rarely ventured this deep into…
Clouds Gleam Across Her Eyes
I held my newborn in the hospital delivery room, and I saw fluffy cumulus clouds billow across Ivanova's eyes. Right then, I knew. Already, she looked to different worlds. A week later, Mom visited. "Yes, she's like my mother." Grief rattled in her voice. "You'll need to watch…
The Library is Open
The library was open, all the good that it did. So far, only three flies had entered that morning. Shawna knew it was almost pointless for her to unlock the front door and turn the front window sign to OPEN, but she found comfort in the routine, even though she spent most of her…
10 Things Newly Manifested Wizards Should Never Do
Congratulations! Your magic manifested itself. Maybe your teenage years won't suck quite so much, right? Wrong. The good news is, you found my website. The bad news is, I'm not the top result on Google. If you're under imminent threat of death because of your experimental…
Bear-bear Speaks"
Bear-bear is silent, and stays silent, no matter how hard the woman squeezes his paw. She feels the weight of him in her backpack purse now, heavy as the world. His muteness bothers her more than the hollowness she once knew in her gut, or the billowing ash that burns her eyes.…
The Quest You Have Chosen Defies Your Fate
You are reading a book, and within that book you now walk through the iron gates of the junior high school of your youth. You don't understand how you are reading of a real place within this old fantasy book of adventures you found in the closet of your childhood bedroom. These…
From the Ashes
"I don't like to come here." Grace's words echoed against the gray shells of brick and stucco. "I don't really, either," said Ryan, his voice soft and husky all at once. Their boots crunched through ash as if it were snow. I trailed them by about half a block, anxiety increasing…
Hatchlings
If there is any justice in the world, Priscilla Reardon's associate-hatchling will be a walking, talking pile of dung. But even if it is, everyone will probably applaud and say it's gorgeous. My whole class, Priscilla included, is from the same creche batch. We turn ten today,…
Measures and Countermeasures
The other girls at camp had warned Colleen about what to look for, how her family would try to save her when she came home. Sure enough, through the fluff of the bedside rug, her toe traced hardness the size of an old credit card. A remote weight sensor. Hot anger seared through…
Maps
Christina drew her first map at age five, nubby red crayon in her fist. She thrust the sheet into her grandmother's lap, warring for attention against four squalling cousins. "What's this?" asked her grandmother, her smooth, ripe lips pursing in a frown. "That's where you'll…
Cartographer's Ink
Not even the soothing heat of a full cup of tea could ease the agony in Sir Oren's hands. Each finger joint throbbed as if it contained a burning coal. He cursed, trying to cradle the cup between his palms, but the brew sloshed and speckled his velvet housecoat. Oren exhaled in…
Reading Time
We began to burn the books, and Dad tried to kill himself. Almost all of the extra furniture had been burned over the previous month, leaving the upholstery and padding from sofas and chairs heaped on the big bed in what used to be just Mom's and Dad's room. Me and Taylor stayed…
Bless This House
A pink sliver of sunrise glowed over the hills, and the cows lowed their need. Emma parted the barn doors. Her metal pail and other gear met the dirt floor with a solid thud. She began the morning routine, her joints stiff and eyes bleary. The baby had been up at all hours, and…
Bless This House
A pink sliver of sunrise glowed over the hills, and the cows lowed their need. Emma parted the barn doors. Her metal pail and other gear met the dirt floor with a solid thud. She began the morning routine, her joints stiff and eyes bleary. The baby had been up at all hours, and…