(ebook) midnight & indigo: Eighteen Speculative Stories by Black Women Writers (Issue 9)

In “Crepuscular Hour” by Lorraine Rice, it has always been Evie and Lili, two selves vying for dominion over one body. That is, except for the twilight hour of each day, when girl and double are made separate and whole. As an eleventh birthday approaches, heightened tensions tip the scales.

When her silver jar of wishes starts running low, Jasmine wishes to become a unicorn in “If Wishes Were Horses”by Azure Arther. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite what Jasmine thought it would be.

In “The Revelation of Laila Dupont” by Desiree Winns, babies all over the world are being born with wings—those of an angel or devil. Theories circulate about what the wings mean for humanity, and whether the actions of the mother impact which their children receive. Two sisters wait to see which their babies will be graced with.

In “A Dirge without music” by Fatima Abdullahi, a desperate father races against time to save the life of his only child, riddled with guilt over the knowledge that the situation was caused by his own hand.

An unwelcome customer stops into a local restaurant at closing time in “Sunup Town” by Hou Rhyder. In a homogenous municipality that welcomes others at night but expects them gone by day, sometimes saving grace is a little kindness and reconciliation. And other times, it’s a spare tray of mac and cheese and a fresh banana pudding.

In “Buyer’s Remorse” by Toni Jones, a telepath and an empath get into a relationship. They must contend with how their powers have impacted their past relationships.

In “In the Middle of Air” by Ashley J. Hobbs, First Lady Marvette Lee Royster is struggling to fit in with the congregation of Mount Moriah Pentecostal Church and nurture her gifted daughter. When an influential church mother wages war against the child and her gift, First Lady Royster has to determine what matters most.

In “Healer of Herself” by Elnora Gunter, Cora has a secret she shares with her husband Tim. When Tim abandons her, she sets off for the swamp. What she finds offers something redeeming—and terrifying.

Unable to cope with the absence of her pilot father, a young girl finds refuge in her imagination in “Mama Said” by Karla Tiffany. Between her oppressive, Bible-thumping mother, the beautiful but antagonistic Delilah, and boy troubles, coming of age hasn't exactly been a walk in the park. All she knows is that she wants to fly away, just like the slaves in The People Could Fly. When the mysterious Amadaius appears, she just may get her wish—for better or worse.

A witch finds herself becoming the new bride to a vampire prince in “Two Halves Of A Whole”by Camilla Andrew.

In “Spanish Moss”by Nortina Simmons, three Black teenagers take an afternoon road trip to a haunted highway. When they get there, they find there may be more truth to their ghost stories than imagination.

Precious is the only Black girl in her prestigious boarding school in “Bleeding Marble” by Megan Baffoe. When her best friend falls pregnant, rumor transforms the infant boy into a savage “Beast.”

Blind in one eye with a scar around her neck from nearly choking to death while being born, Kayri has never been able to see much of the world around her or understand it in the same way that others have, in “And She Cried Out, Unseen” by A. A. Blair. When a new world opens up to her, the handicap may just be the one thing that saves her mother’s life.

In “Mud” by Jasmine Griffin, Monica must host her would be mother-in-law while grieving the death of her fiancée. When she becomes enamored with a sculpture she makes of Gwen’s likeness from bricks of red Alabama clay, things come to a head.

In the backwoods of 1960 Alachua County Florida, Gina meets with a rumored root worker in the hopes that she might keep Gina’s past from being uncovered, in “The Witnessing” by Kayla Cayasso.

In “Welcome” by RJ Joseph, a widow with an empty nest ruminates on her loneliness and inadvertently changes her status.

A girl becomes a woman and has to make certain sacrifices in “Flower Girl” by Oubria Tronshaw.

In “The Favor” by Jennifer E. Jones, everyone wants that ride-or-die friend, the one you'd call if you need to hide a body. But what happens when you get that call?