•   CONTENTS                                                                  Before Paphos
                          St. Ailbe's Hall
           Art Gallery                                                        by Loretta Casteen
       o
                          By Naomi Kritzer
           Articles                                                           8 January 2007
       o
                          19 January 2004
           Columns                                                            It starts again. The
       o
                                                                              baby begins to cough
                          Part 1 of 2
           Fiction
       o                                                                      and choke.
                          There was a Siberian husky in the last pew of St.
           Poetry
       o                                                                      Locked Doors
                    Mary's. It was standing on its hind legs, holding a
           Reviews
      o             hymnal and singing, so Father Andrew knew that it by Stephanie Burgis
                    must be an enhanced dog -- but in church, for
      o Archives
                    heaven's sake. There were parishioners who owned 1 January 2007
                    enhanced dogs, but today was not the Blessing of
•   ABOUT US                                                              You can never let
                    the Animals, so what was it doing here? Father
                                                                          anyone suspect, his
      o Staff       Andrew realized abruptly that the hymn had ended
                                                                          mother told him. That
                    several seconds ago, and he'd been staring at the
                                                                          was the first rule she
      o Guidelines  dog. He hastily opened the missal and started the
                                                                          taught him, and the
                    opening prayer.
      o Contact                                                           last, before she left
                    During the first reading, he looked at the back pew him here alone with It.
      o Awards
                    again. After a few minutes of covert study, he
                                                                          Heroic Measures
                    recognized the young woman beside the dog -- Lisa
      o Banners
                    Erickson. Lisa had been confirmed during Father by Matthew Johnson
•   SUPPORT US      Andrew's first year at St. Mary's; she'd left Willmar
                    for college six years ago. Her parents had            18 December 2006
      o Donate      complained to Father Andrew that Lisa had drifted
                    away from the Church while at college. He'd heard Pale as he was, it was
         Bookstore
      o
                    that she'd moved back to the farm after her parents hard to believe he
                                                                          would never rise from
      o Merchandise died. But what was the dog doing with her?
                                                                          this bed. Even in the
                    The rest of the church noticed the dog during the darkest times, she
•   COMMUNITY
                    Sign of Peace; Father Andrew stifled a smile as he had never really
      o Forum       watched people saying "Peace be with you" while feared for him; he had
                    craning their necks to stare. It took longer than     always been strong,
      o Readers'    usual for everyone to sit back down.                  so strong.
         Choice
                    After the Mass, Father Andrew stood just inside theLove Among the
                    shade of the door to greet his parishioners. Lisa     Talus
                    came out with the dog. "Remember me, Father?"
                                                                          by Elizabeth Bear
                    she asked. She had a button saying "AWARE"
                    pinned to her sundress.
                                                                          11 December 2006
                    "I sure do, Lisa," he said.
                                                                          Nilufer raised her
                                                                          eyes to his. It was not
                    "This is Jasper," Lisa said, and prodded the dog
                                                                          what women did to
                    towards him. "She'd like to meet you."
                                                                          men, but she was a
                    Father Andrew was uncomfortable with the idea of princess, and he was
                    enhanced animals -- the Pope had condemned the only a bandit. "I want
                    manipulation of God's creation, and the results of to be a Witch," she
                    the manipulation made Andrew nervous. Still, he said. "A Witch and
                    forced himself to make eye contact with the dog, not a Queen. I wish
                    wondering what exactly Lisa expected from him. to be not loved, but
                    Jasper's eyes looked neither like the eyes of         wise. Tell your bandit