In December 2015, EDF solicited and published December-themed stories by 27 authors. Those authors included voices from EDF’s history and present as well as stories by some of EDF’s editorial team.
Iona, on duty at ten minutes to midnight, smiled over her cup of coffee. Everything was running smoothly. She closed her eyes and listened to the machine hum. Encased in rows of transparent tubes, volunteers slept while verisimilitude engines pumped… Continue Reading
I loved Christmas lights till I knew better. Loved to look out my kitchen window, down the hill, and see the lights twinkling, sparkling, lines going off and on, leading the eye in complicated cuneiform, punctuated with glowing candles and… Continue Reading
Mom bequeathed me two things before she passed. First were keys to the Vermont Bed & Breakfast where I grew up. She managed the business with perfect elegance: polished woodwork, superbly manicured lawn, and spotless sidewalks every winter. At twenty-four… Continue Reading
It’s a story as old as time: a father’s desire to create a special Christmas memory leads to a tragic chimney accident. Yes, we thought it was strange that Dad missed the frenzy of gift-unwrapping. Yes, we noticed the smoke… Continue Reading
Carter McCall never considered himself much of one for company until this Christmas, when the familiarity of a house full of people during the holidays was completely absent. Years past, he would make token appearances at the family gatherings at… Continue Reading
A glowing wife wraps a “Baby’s First Christmas” bib for her husband’s stocking. *** Sean bashes his rattle against his wooden high chair. His parents dance close to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” *** Sean leaps onto his sleeping parents shrilling,… Continue Reading
I hate driving in snow, Margret thinks as she dumps a bag of ornaments onto the passenger seat of her car. She doesn’t even know why she does this. David’s been gone six years now, and their spoiled brat children… Continue Reading
The Night Man walks the winter dark, trailing mist and shadows, too tall and thin for an ordinary man and slightly translucent around the edges. No lock or bar can keep him out, and though a light might hold him… Continue Reading
Gideon’s sword cleaved blindly through the pitch darkness that surrounded him. Sticking ooze splattered and another monster, invisible through the black, gurgled to the ground. When they had started their journey, his sword had illuminated the hunting shadows. How long… Continue Reading
Eddie Horrigan was a ride jock for a carnival. Angela came by the carousel first night in town. She pulled at the gomer with her. “Let’s ride the merry-go-round, Delbert.” Delbert studied Eddie. “We’ll ride the Ferris Wheel.” “I want… Continue Reading