The Hidden Back Room by Jason A. Wyckoff

Author:Jason A. Wyckoff [Jason A. Wyckoff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horror, Gothic, Mystery, Weird Fiction, Occult & Supernatural, American, Short Stories, Collections & Anthologies, Tartarus Press
Goodreads: 31184110
Publisher: Tararus Press
Published: 2016-07-09T23:00:00+00:00

Hosea woke with the first bell, but pretended to remain asleep. No one had ever accused him of sloth, but it seemed to him particularly stupid for anyone to require additional notice to rise, and he hoped in all actions to promote an image of stupidity. He believed his campaign of fatuousness was succeeding. His mother was at least disappointed with him on a fairly consistent basis, and he expected only some lingering matriarchal pride halted her from calling him an idiot to his face. Today might be the day, he thought, and pulled the covers over his chin to hide the smile he could not suppress. Summer days were always busy; today was no exception. He was to assist the beekeepers that morning. The potential for disaster loomed large in Hosea’s mind. This one will hurt. But he was sure it would be worth it. He hoped to prove his incompetence in every available task save one and to reassure his mother of his utter reliance on others. He knew he was going to grow to be a large and imposing man, to be taken seriously as a physical threat by outsiders even if not taken much at all seriously by his neighbours. If he displayed an aptitude for driving the truck (he had yet to figure out how to display wild incompetence in other endeavours yet garner sufficient confidence to be let behind the wheel), then his expected contribution would be obvious: He would be one of the elect party that left the town to trade its abundant gold.

Growing up, it had been easy to believe the teachings of the elders. The valley seemed blessed by God. The river deposited an endless supply of flecks and specks of gold in the broad, shallow expanse covering the valley floor. From this alone, the town had money enough to buy the foodstuffs and modest supplies it required from the outside world, but this was not its only blessing. An apiary outside the town ring hosted a stable colony of honey bees that happily gorged themselves on fireweed and unfailingly produced a generous annual flow famous for its quality. When he considered the good points of the town, Hosea thought it unsurprising that none before him (as far as he knew) had wanted to leave. But he knew he had something different in him—a yearning that might well bring his doom, but one he must yield to or suffer a fate worse by far: stagnation. He didn’t know why he was different, but he looked at the people around him—even the girl he thought he might love—and he was surer every day that his path led elsewhere. Hosea was aware of this feeling from an early age. When he was young he asked questions, but learned that challenge met resistance. He realised that the path of least resistance was one where intention was obscured, leaving the resultant action unimagined. And so he decided to become a fool in the eyes of the townspeople to avoid suspicion until he could effectuate his plan.

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