I think you are going to really enjoy our story today. It is written my
Michael Natale. We have run two other stories by Michael. Those are Firstborn and The Rut. Both of which were very fun stories. In fact, Firstborn was the first story that we did that used a cast of multiple voices. It was big step in a new direction for Variant Frequencies. For this story, we are back to one voice, but this is not just any voice. The narrator for our story is Michael A. Stackpole. Michael A. Stackpole is a science fiction and fantasy novelist, who also podcasts. He is the co-host of DragonPage Cover to Cover. To learn more about him, his work, and to read free, serialized fiction, visit his website at
www.stormwolf.com.
"Way back on I Should Be Writing #4 (September 2005) Mur Lafferty interviewed Michael Stackpole at DragonCon. That interview changed my writing life. I had been writing steadily since I was about twelve but stopped once I got to my mid-twenties and the wife and kids came along. For almost 15 years I'd barely written anything.
Hearing Mike talk about the craft of writing genre fiction was like listening to Clapton play guitar. That led me to his podcast The Secrets. I subscribed to his Secrets newsletter (and still do) which is pure GOLD for any writer, by the way.
Between ISBW and The Secrets, I began to write again. Now "Under the Bed" will be my sixth short story published since I started writing again. The fact that you somehow got Michael Frikkin Stackpole to narrate it is perfect!"
--Michael Natale
Also, if any of you are going to be near Romulus, Michigan between May first and third, come see me at
Penguicon 7. Penguicon is a science fiction and open source software convention. I will be in panels with Steve Eley from
Escape Pod and with
Wil Wheaton of Star Trek fame. I had fun at Penguicon last year, and I hope to see some of you there as well.
Now on to our story.
"
Under The Bed" by Michael Natale
Bad Dreams. Shadows on the wall. Things that go bump in the night. Something lurks in the darkness to whisper things no child should hear. To remind young minds of things no child should remember. And to feed. It waits, hungry but patient, in the blackness under the bed.
Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com