"Thank you, Mr. Tern," said Moss. The other man whipped his head around as Imogene disappeared through the door. He glanced at the case perfunctorily, nodded, and then gave Moss a sly look.
"Did you see her?" Tern asked. "What an eyeful!"
"You have no idea." Moss grinned. Tern's mouth opened as he cocked his head in a way that reminded Moss of Morel's dog. "Well, thanks for your help." Moss started to walk away but was stopped by Tern's hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I've completely forgotten your name. Was it Wood, Woods, something like that?"
Moss shook his head thoughtfully. "No, my name is Lumsden Moss."
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my dear friend Hans Rueffert for reading and encouraging Necessary Monsters from its earliest beginnings. Thanks to Mark Teppo at Resurrection House for giving Necessary Monsters a home and great editorial advice, and to my agent Martha Millard for her assistance and support. Special thanks to my wife Elaine for reading uncountable early versions of Necessary Monsters, offering invaluable suggestions, and for her unwavering support for all my creative endeavours—to say nothing of supplying endless cups of tea.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard A. Kirk is a Canadian visual artist, illustrator, and author. Richard has illustrated works by Clive Barker, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Christopher Golden, China Miéville, the rock band Korn, and others.
Richard's work is drawn from an interest in the forms and processes of the natural world. He explores these themes through the creation of meticulous drawings, which often depict chimerical creatures and protean landscapes. Metamorphosis is an underlying narrative in all of Richard's work.
In addition to Necessary Monsters, Richard is also the author of The Lost Machine, which is set in this same world.
Necessary Monsters is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used in an absolutely fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Richard A. Kirk.
All rights reserved, which means that no portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express written permission of the copyright holder.
This is A007, and it has an ISBN of 978-1-63023-050-0.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017936817
This book was printed in the United States of America, and it is published by Arche Press, an imprint of Resurrection House (Sumner, WA).
The stories are tragic, of course . . .
Cover Art by Richard A. Kirk
Edited by Mark Teppo
Book Design by Mark Teppo
First trade paperback Arche Press edition: June, 2017.
Arche Press
www.archepress.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Tadpole in a Jar
Smoke
Pickpocket
Master Crow
Lamb's Milk
Meteorites and Moths
The Man With the Glass Pin
An Empty Map
The Return of the Bees
Bookcase
Common Interest
Revelations
Taxali's Bookshop
Aura
Glass Skeleton
The Alley of Birds
The Scratch
Blackrat Bakery
Sawdust and Glue
The Attic of the City
Squealer
A Lethal Suspension
Rhino Building
North Road
A Proposal
The Inn
Fresco
Opera Fire
By Sea
The Edge of the World
Inside Out
The Harrowing
Dogs in the Dark
House of the Puppeteer
Traps
Maps and Legends
The Silo
Crucible
Heart's Desire
The Hand of Darkness
Little Eye
The Tadpole
Aurel
Evening
The Songbirds of Nightjar Island
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright