“The Clockwise People” published in Underland Arcana

My wife and I like to take walks on a path through the wetlands near our home. On those walks, we often run into the same couple, walking their dogs, always coming from the opposite direction. It didn’t matter what time of day it was; it seemed like they were always there. We’d pass, exchange pleasantries, and move on, but it always felt weird.

Of course, being me, I couldn’t live through that series of odd meetings without thinking about how they might turn sinister. That was the genesis of my most recent short story, “The Clockwise People,” which was just released in Issue #11 of Underland Arcana.

It ended up being a deeper, more contemplative story than I’d envisioned. Stories do that sometimes, and writing one is not entirely unlike a walk in the woods. If you’re open to letting the trail take you where it will, you sometimes find something remarkable.

The story closes out the issue, which seems rather fitting, given the way it ends. You’ll know what I mean when you read it.

“The Clockwise People” is available to read online. For a printed copy of Issue #11, visit their website at www.underlandpress.com.