Fossiloctopus (8 page)

November:

Back to the Middle East, this time alone, to retrieve a chest full of sea-worn glass shards that once constituted a glass diving-bell presumably used by Alexander the Great's forces to reconnoiter the enemy at the Siege of Tyre in 332 BC. This is the oldest artifact I have ever presented to my subscribers. I only wish that the pieces were better preserved, more whole, but things of such an age are so fragile that they are easily shattered, not unlike trust in a relationship.

December:

I wish I could pin this month's items to an anniversary, but I cannot, from here on out, think of anniversaries. I must not. Time is short, but let me explain. In this business, you sometimes must take what you are given when it is given, strike while the iron's hot, as they say. When I found the possibility of procuring these morbid beauties, I had to make a quick decision to grab them. In August of 2000, the Russian submarine
Kursk
sank in the Barents Sea due to the accidental explosion of a number of torpedoes. The explosion was strong enough to be detected by seismographs. Though most of the crew died in the initial blasts, several of them held on for several days awaiting a rescue that was too slow to save them, mainly due to Russia's stubborn resistance to several offers of help from the international community. Ultimately, those who had survived the explosions slowly died of suffocation as oxygen ran out. One can only imagine their final hours in that dark place, deep beneath the murky sea, eyes wide with fear as their breath was squeezed out of them. This will be my final shipment to each of you, as my business partnership with Aimee is at a dead end. Please accept, as your final subscription's issue, one of 24 authentic teeth from victims of the
Kursk
disaster, each mailed in a medicine bottle, the information appearing on the label being of no consequence to you. And now, I sail off alone. It's been an . . . interesting ride. Bon Voyage!

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About the Author:

Forrest Aguirre’s fiction has been published in over fifty magazines and anthologies. His work has received honorable mentions in several Year’s Best anthologies and he was a finalist for the StorySouth Million Writers Award. Forrest is also a World Fantasy Award recipient and Philip K. Dick Award finalist for his editing of the
Leviathan 3
anthology with co-editor Jeff VanderMeer. Forrest lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, children, and ferret.

Discover other titles by Forrest Aguirre at Smashwords.com

Connect with me online:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/forrestaguirre

Google+: Forrest Aguirre

Blog:
forrestaguirre.blogspot.com

Twitter: @Forrestaguirre

The stories in this volume originally appeared in the following venues:

The Bones of Ndundi:
Notre Dame Review

Fossiloctopus:
Gargoyle

Four Canopus:
Exquisite Corpse

Jamalerdapala’s Refractor:
American Letters & Commentary

Kaleidoscopes of Africa:
3rd Bed

Keys I Don’t Remember:
Polyphony

Nancy Davis’ Bridal Veil: Previously Unpublished

The Seven Tattoos of Inisto Cantaglia:
Prague Literary Review

Strange Fruit:
Cafe Irreal

Submissions Status:
Diagram

Subscription:
Pear Noir!