He jumped out of the hole and walked quickly out of the woods and he felt cheated. The secret was one sided. Only one person to share it with and she was gone. Down the hole. He grew angry and confused as he walked, taking ragged breaths.
Then he noticed a bird flying circles around him in the dark. If it wasn’t a crow, it certainly was the size of one. When he stopped it continued to fly around him. It flapped its wings and he felt the air move.
“How come you didn’t go back with the rest of them?” He asked.
The bird cawed twice.
Henry thought about what he had witnessed and what he had to bear with the secret. He grew cold at how lonely that felt.
But the bird cawed twice again.
He turned and watched the bird circle him. “I have you to keep the secret with, don’t I?” he asked.
The bird cawed once in the affirmative.
About the Editor
USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith published more than a hundred novels in thirty years and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres.
He wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, they wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.
He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.
He now writes his own original fiction under just the one name, Dean Wesley Smith. In addition to his upcoming novel releases, his monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly premiered October 1, 2013, filled entirely with his original novels and stories.
Dean also worked as an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books. He now plays a role as an executive editor for the original anthology series Fiction River.
For more information go to www.deanwesleysmith.com, www.smithsmonthly.com or www.fictionriver.com.
FICTION RIVER: YEAR TWO
Fantasy Adrift
Edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Universe Between
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith
Fantastic Detectives
Past Crime
Edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Pulse Pounders
Edited by Kevin J. Anderson
Risk Takers
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith
Valor (Special Edition)
Edited by Lee Allred
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Copyright Information
Fiction River: Universe Between
Copyright © 2014 by WMG Publishing
Published by WMG Publishing
Cover and Layout copyright © 2014 by WMG Publishing
Editing and other written material copyright © 2014 by Dean Wesley Smith
Cover art copyright © Algol/Dreamstime
Cover design by Allyson Longueira/WMG Publishing
“Foreword: Balancing Act” copyright © 2014 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Introduction: That Space on the Line” copyright © 2014 by Dean Wesley Smith
“Slow Answer” copyright © 2014 by Lee Allred
“One-Night Stands for Love and Glory” copyright © 2014 by David H. Hendrickson
“Lunar Command: Dark Side” copyright © 2014 by Richard Alan Dickson
“Are We Alone in the Universe?” copyright © 2014 by Darcy Pattison
“Unsubscribe” copyright © 2014 by Phaedra Weldon
“The Sun Dial Trail” copyright © 2014 by Rebecca S.W. Bates
“The Mooring Buoy” copyright © 2014 by Jamie McNabb
“Slow World” copyright © 2014 by Steven Mohan, Jr.
“Snake Bi” copyright © 2014 by Kellen Knolan
“Between the Lines” copyright © 2014 by Karen L. Abrahamson
“Perfect Notes” copyright © 2014 by Scott William Carter
“The Space Between Hope and Dreams” copyright © 2014 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“The Atlantis Fifty” copyright © 2014 by Dean Wesley Smith
“Sky in the Ground” copyright © 2014 by Rob Vagle
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Foreword: Balancing Act
Introduction: That Space on the Line
Slow Answer
Lunar Command: Dark Side
Are We Alone in the Universe?
Unsubscribe
The Sun Dial Trail
The Mooring Buoy
Slow World
Snake Bi
Between the Lines
Perfect Notes
The Space Between Hope and Dreams
The Atlantis Fifty
Sky in the Ground
About the Editor
Fiction River: Year Two
Copyright Information