The ad had been cryptic, buried in the SF weekly classifieds in that grey zone where ads selling old ladies’ inbred whippets and worn out trampolines gave way to guarded and not so guarded references to every kind of sex you could imagine: man on man, woman on woman on transman, BDSM man on man on horse, and so on. That was usually on page 27, just before the full page, picture laden escort service ads. So around page 27, under the category “Help Wanted – Other,” Korea had found the following four lines:

Assistant needed, no exp req
Female, neat, timely. $50 /hr.
829 31st St, 7/21/08, 9:17 PM.
Must love adventure.

Something about the monotony of this place, Eleyna thought, the horrid gray sky surrounding us like the inside of a skull. It kept the weakest of the prisoners plunging onward, while it dimmed even Maurizio’s unwaveringly high spirits. He still whistled, occasionally, but only in a tuneless squeak, none of the relative symphonies of before.

Everyone knew that this would be a terrible place to die.

“Only wait till we’re free,” Eleyna muttered, “then I’ll show him how to use that whip.”

“Much good it would do you,” said Maurizio. “His entire body is made of stone! He would feel the whip the way you feel the brush of the wind against your cheeks.”

Eleyna grimaced in pain, but let out no tears, not any more. They were given barely enough water to march on, none to spare for tears. Instead, Eleyna imagined ways to torture a creature made of stone: A slow trickle of water, eroding and seeping into hairline cracks until his body was split. An iron stake, chipping towards the heart, driven in with a single hammer pound every a day for years, then eventually pounding until only flakes of lose granite remained.

Be sure to check out my short story in the Fall 2008 issue of ZYZZYVA. The story is about the consequences of wildlife relocation! Copies can also be found in many bookstores, especially on the west coast.

On the fourth day of slow sailing along the coast Kai, the second from the youngest of the seven, voiced doubts. The initial frenzy after Eleyna’s kidnapping had faded, and Kai was always the fainthearted one. “Our father is old,” he asked, “and now left alone. Wasn’t it rash for all seven of us to leave him?”

Viorel faced Kai on the foredeck. “What would you have me do?” Viorel asked. “Turn back now, with our sister in the hands of bandits?”

We’re back! Tenzons is officially back from vacation, and back to a weekly update schedule. The first new post will be up later tonight.

In honor of our glorious return, I’ve made a few changes to the page that you probably won’t even notice! See if you can find them. Also, I’ve added in a page for all our new readers to help them get up to speed.