‘Good Creatures, Small Things’
— Reneé Bibby
With the already too-intense sun of Tucson scorching away my reason, I went in search of cool, soft stories of mild climes, and found Cate Fricke’s story instead—a dark tale that dragged me through the thickets to be buried in the snow. Squinting my eyes and looking askance at the story, the slightly old-fashioned and lilting language brought to mind sweet pastorals of a bygone era. But let’s be clear: this is a horror story, an elegant, heartbreaking horror story. Fricke unspools the story into thickening threads of sadness, and will not leave you with much hope. Maybe, like me, after it you’ll just be happy to return to your everyday life, hale and grateful for the reassuring brightness of a blinding hot day.