•   CONTENTS                                                            Before Paphos
                          The Moon Is
           Art Gallery                                                  by Loretta Casteen
       o
                          Always Full
           Articles                                                     8 January 2007
       o
                          By Charles Coleman
           Columns                                                      It starts again. The baby begins
       o
                          Finlay                                        to cough and choke.
           Fiction
       o
                                                                        Locked Doors
                          31 October 2005
           Poetry
       o
                                                                      by Stephanie Burgis
                          The three men entered the treehouse.
           Reviews
       o                  Martin groped in the dark for the light
                          switch. The naked bulb that hung from 1 January 2007
           Archives
       o
                          the center of the low ceiling came on,      You can never let anyone
                          throwing its harsh light over the room. Jim
•   ABOUT US                                                          suspect, his mother told him.
                          tossed down the bolt cutters he'd used on
                                                                      That was the first rule she taught
           Staff          the padlock. Lionel went to the liquor
       o
                                                                      him, and the last, before she left
                          cabinet and took out four jelly jars and a
                                                                      him here alone with It.
           Guidelines
       o                  bottle of bourbon. He filled three of the
                          jars and gave one to each man.              Heroic Measures
           Contact
       o
                          "To Ralph," he said. After a respectful       by Matthew Johnson
           Awards
       o
                          pause, he added, "The hairiest son of a
                                                                        18 December 2006
                          bitch I ever knew."
           Banners
       o

                                                                        Pale as he was, it was hard to
•                         The other two men smiled, then they all
    SUPPORT US
                                                                        believe he would never rise
                          chuckled. The glasses clinked. Each man
           Donate                                                       from this bed. Even in the
                          took a long drink. When they lowered
       o
                                                                        darkest times, she had never
                          their glasses, Lionel knuckled the corner
           Bookstore
       o                                                                really feared for him; he had
                          of his eye and turned his head away.
                                                                        always been strong, so strong.
        Merchandise Jim, bushy-bearded, still smelling like oil,
       o
                    thrust one hand into the pocket of his tan Love Among the Talus
•   COMMUNITY
                    coveralls. He lifted his glass again, saying,
                                                                  by Elizabeth Bear
                    "And piss on the black dog that killed
      o Forum
                    him."                                         11 December 2006
      o Readers'
                    He was the only one to drink. Martin's Nilufer raised her eyes to his. It
        Choice
                    forehead wrinkled, and his mustache           was not what women did to
                    popped out a bit as he pursed his lips. men, but she was a princess,
                    "What's the black dog? I thought Ralph and he was only a bandit. "I
                    shot himself."                                want to be a Witch," she said.
                                                                        "A Witch and not a Queen. I
                          "Hell with that," Lionel said. "He was
                                                                        wish to be not loved, but wise.
                          murdered."
                                                                        Tell your bandit lord, if he can
                                                                        give me that, I might accept his
                          There was a long pause. Lionel
                                                                        gift."
                          swallowed half his bourbon in one
                          continuous gulp. He kept his hair cut in a
                          military buzz and ironed his polo shirts. Archived Fiction Dating back to
                          His voice always seemed on the edge of 9/1/00
                          yelling. Jim asked him, low and even,
                          "Why do you say that?"

                          "'Cause Ralph wouldn't kill himself,"
                          Lionel said, pounding his forefinger on the
                          formica tabletop. "He just wouldn't!"