The Beings That Haunt
by Z.I. Rhodes

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A would-be artist accepts a mysterious man’s lavish patronage in exchange for a very ordinary used car and gets a far stranger bargain than he expected. An embittered young woman wakes in a weird liminal world, watched over by a “guardian” who knows her every thought. A man gets ready for a wedding to the love of his life but can’t quite remember how he knows his soon-to-be husband. A cynical teen with a disturbing secret who resents sharing a seat on his first plane trip with a peculiar old gentleman gets schooled on much more than good manners. A disillusioned teacher struggles to control her classroom of prepubescent deities with contrasting views of the kind of world they intend, one day, to create. In the aftermath of his mother’s death, a serial killer remembers his murderous infancy. Frogs exact grisly vengeance on their oblivious human oppressors. The richly layered, unsettling, thought-provoking stories and poems in The Beings That Haunt tackle themes of mortality, destiny, the nature of time, and the far-reaching or uncanny consequences of even the smallest of our actions with insight, honesty, and vivid, dark humour. Adults and mature teens who enjoy dark fantasy, literary sci-fi, and speculative fiction will be spellbound by this stylish, fascinating collection.

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Originally from Nova Scotia, Z. I. Rhodes is a first-time author currently living in Eastern Europe with two adopted cats. A lover of stories of all kinds, he is widely travelled and spends his time, when not working or writing, watching films, reading, attempting to stay healthy, and exploring Europe.

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Contributors

Author

Z.I. Rhodes

Artist

David Bou