Adeyemi lapsed into silence as darkness thickened and all we had was that fragile guttering flame between us and the endless void. Really, that’s all anybody has. Flames crackled in the barrel stove and the flue moaned softly. I meditated upon the wilderness and animals alone in the dark, living out nature’s plan.

Nature has a plan for me as well. An exit into the posthumous life by a silver bullet through the heart or peacefully in my sleep. Maybe, when it’s time, I’ll return home to the utter North, lie down on autumn tundra beneath the aurora borealis, and commend my spirit to the fields of ancient lights. Whichever way it goes, the worms in the earth patiently abide.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Jessica M.; Dr. Todd Banister and staff at Banister Animal Hospital of Kingston, New York; Yves Tourigny; Christopher Coke; the Langan Family; Paul Tremblay; Phil Fracassi; Stephanie Simurd; Deborah Gordon Brown; James McAlear; Jason, Harmony, Oksana, Julian, and Quinn Barron; Timbi Porter; Jody Rose; and, as always, my fans.

Special thanks to Sara Minnich, Patricja Okuniewska, Bonnie Rice, Madeleine Hopkins, and the Putnam team; William DeMerrit; and my agents, Janet Reid and Pouya Shahbazian.

Extra-special thanks to my colleague Frank Duffy, who understands; and to Gage P. & Tiffany F.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laird Barron was born in Alaska, where he raised huskies and worked in the construction and fishing industries for much of his youth. He is the author of several short-story collections and three novels, and his work has also appeared in many magazines and anthologies. A multiple Locus, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Award nominee, he is also a three-time winner of the Shirley Jackson Award. Barron lives in Kingston, New York.

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