The Dark Issue 76 by Kali Napier

Author:Kali Napier [The Dark Magazine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dark fantasy, fantasy, horror, magazine
Publisher: Prime Books
Published: 2021-09-01T21:13:30+00:00

Maiga Doocy is a fantasy writer from Connecticut. She lives in a house where the people are outnumbered by cats, has a serious tea habit, and loves sad songs. She likes to write stories that are full of bittersweet longing and as much unexplainable magic as she can get away with.

Nails

by Phoenix Alexander

hear

here are some of the things my nails can do:

—push through the backs of the cockroaches that run around my room. They’re crunchy at first and then slip-smooth and soft inside. Their they’re fast but I’m faster

—when I lie really still in the dark I can feel my heartbeat in my nails, from the meat under the base to the sharp throbby tips

—scratch this message on the wall so that someone will remember me

My nails are all I have left

Tomorrow they’re going to take them

I live in a room now.

My room is in a house.

My house is somewhere near where the sandyskins live, the daywalking giants, twice my height and two leg-standing. They set a trap in the early time of the morning when the star rises, because they know we don’t like the starshine. I was hungry and the animalparts they dumped into a big gooey mess on the leaves looked so devourable.

So they caught me in the net and dragged me into the house and when they were dragging me to the house they, the men, said nice things about my nails.

“Get a good harvest off them.”

“Watch ’em—they’re sharp.”

“Never seen a goblin before.”

Ghhrblin, I corrected, making the gut-deep sound in my throat that was the name of my people. This was sillily important to me even while they were dragging me in a net across the forest floor.

I was ignored.

One man was taller than the other. Much taller. Both men wore leather hoods. I could see into the eyes of the shorter one; they were an flyer-egg grey, and big, and scared. And familiar.

I made to speak again but the bigger one kicked me and I stopped trying.

When we got to the house, even though I was hurt and scared and crying, I was proud that my nails hadn’t broken.

This is my second day here.

They’re coming for my nails today.

I know it is day because there is a clear square in the room and I can see the forest outside and the sky. I creep around the room on my nails (they grow so fast, wonderfully fast) and look out the square and then creep again and see the fliers flying between the stickly arms of trees and watch the fluffyjumpers jump with their quick, frightened eyes and their furry bodies hiding the warm wet beating things inside them that I starve to eat.

Night comes. The silverstar shines. The forest is made ghost by it. I wonder when they will come. I love my nails so much. I begin to hope.

There are other creatures in the rooms in this house and they kick up shouts and screams and moans and it hurts my head, so I

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