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    Witch Garden and Other Stories
    Witch Garden and Other Stories
    Witch Garden and Other Stories
    Ebook77 pages58 minutes

    Witch Garden and Other Stories

    By James D. Macdonald and Debra Doyle

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Doyle and Macdonald are the authors of the Mageworlds series, the Circle of Magic series, and the Bad Blood series.

    Stories in this collection include:

    "Witch Garden" :: Something odd's in Henry Thatcher's garden.
    "Nobody Has To Know" :: It's easy to be a vampire. And nobody has to know.
    "Now and in the Hour of our Death" :: An alternate Kennedy.
    "Why They Call It That" :: A swashbuckling editor story.
    "Please To See the King" :: True destiny or true desire?
    and
    "The Little Prune That Couldn't Talk" :: Little Prune, hero of the Revolution.
    "Bad Blood" :: The Sunset Hills Junior High Ecology Club has a problem. A werewolf problem.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJames D. Macdonald
    Release dateJun 16, 2011
    ISBN9781458019226
    Witch Garden and Other Stories

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      Book preview

      Witch Garden and Other Stories - James D. Macdonald

      Witch Garden and Other Stories

      by

      Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      Smashwords Edition

      Witch Garden, Copyright 1995-2011 by Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      Nobody Has To Know, Copyright 1991-2011 by Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      Now and in the Hour of our Death, Copyright 1992-2011 by Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      Why They Call It That, Copyright 1993-2011 by Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      Please To See the King, Copyright 1995-2011 by Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      The Little Prune That Couldn't Talk, Copyright 1980-2011 by James D. Macdonald

      Bad Blood, Copyright 1988-2011 by James D. Macdonald and Debra Doyle

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

      Contents:

      Witch Garden

      Nobody Has to Know

      Now and in the Hour of Our Death

      Why They Call It That

      Please to See the King

      The Little Prune that Couldn't Talk

      Bad Blood

      About the Authors

      Witch Garden

      by

      Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald

      Damned queer, Henry Thatcher said. Right in the middle of my tomatoes.

      What's that?

      Bunch of bumps in the ground.

      Don't sound too queer to me.

      Ben took a long pull on his beer, a Miller in a can. Six, eight inches out of the ground, where I'd run the Rototiller over it not sixteen days ago? And my tomatoes growing right on top. Hard enough to grow tomatoes without this.

      Always something funny in your garden, Henry.

      Ayup. Not bad enough that last frost was in May.

      Last frost is always in May.

      Not so late in May. First freeze in September, I bet. Green tomato relish again.

      Nothing wrong with green tomato relish, Ben said.

      I like a good green tomato relish as much as the next man. Like to see a good red one too.

      Ben finished his beer and popped open another. You had red tomatoes last year. Showed 'em at Lancaster Fair, as I recall.

      Ayup. Blue ribbon tomatoes those were. Not this year, no sir, not with the frost and those lumps in my garden.

      Suppose you'll show me your lumps?

      Ain't any there right now, said Henry. Spaded 'em to bits and raked 'em out.

      Don't think it's moles, do you? If it's moles, you can get some smoke bombs down to Hick's Brothers that'll chase 'em right out.

      Don't think it's moles. Leastways, no moles I've ever seen leave lumps like this.

      Next morning there was another lump, a little one this time, four or five inches long by three wide. Most folks wouldn't have noticed it, since it didn't raise itself more than a quarter inch about the soil but Henry noticed things in his garden; he was there every day pulling weeds when they were no more than two little seed-leaves poking out of the dirt. Besides, he was looking out for lumps these days, since his friend Ben hadn't believed in 'em—or didn't think they were serious, anyway. But most noticeable of all, this lump had straight edges.

      And straight edges plain aren't natural in anything that people don't build, Henry said to Ben that day at noon, while they were having doughnuts and coffee.

      Sometimes not even then, Ben said. Just look at Jensen's barn.

      Henry decided to let the dirt in his garden alone this time, and see if the lump would grow big enough for Ben to see it. By late afternoon it was already looking bigger. The edges of the mound were still straight, though, even where a red-lettuce plant was growing half on, half off one side. None of the lettuce roots had been disturbed, for all the world like the lump had been there forever with the lettuce growing on it.

      The whole thing, Henry figured, was maybe two feet long by now, and close to half an inch high. If it was growing that fast he should be able to see it change. But no matter how long he looked at it, nothing happened. It wasn't quite a rectangle any more, either. The two long sides bent out a little but the edges were still pretty straight.

      God damn, Henry said, and called Ben on the telephone. You want to see one of them lumps? he said. Come on over and I'll show you one.

      I'll be over after supper. I'll bring the beer this time.

      This far north in summer

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