HYPNOS VOLUME 9 CONTENTS FOR FALL 2020 ISSUE 2 COVER DESIGN _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ANNA STROUD Illustrating a scene from Thomas Fredric Jones’ story “Cicadae” CICADAE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ THOMAS FREDRIC JONES 3 Neither the eerie carousel in this story nor the woman who owns it are what they appear to be NARTHEX OF THE DAMNED _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ LAWRENCE BUENTELLO 11 A widower seeks his beloved wife in a nightmarish realm, which threatens to consume him TRIUMPHANT CHAOS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PATRICK RUTIGLIANO 19 Verse EVERY CREEPING THING _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HARRIS COVERLEY 20 A strange, inexplicable flood almost drowns an old man——or something that looks like a man THE SHADOW-THING _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CHRIS CORNETTO 23 An alchemist seeks to harness a power he doesn’t understand: the power to resurrect the dead TA’XET _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CHRISTIAN MACKLAM 30 As a storm batters the coast of British Columbia, a lone lighthouse keeper awaits his doom ILLUMINATIONS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ J. P. SEEWALD 31 An odd book offers a father a key to his own repressed childhood——and the horrors therein PLYASKA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TRAVIS D. ROBERSON 38 A traveling artist paints the most enchanting pictures, though they come with a terrible price WHEN ALL TURNED TO DUST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ NESTOR DELFINO 41 A scientist races to reverse a chemical reaction that has turned the world’s waters to sand All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, or television reviews, no part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Some material contained herein may be in the public domain in certain territories. Hypnos is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Hypnos is published in the United States by Hypnos Magazine, 920 N. Leverett Ave., #607, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Submission guide- lines, back issues, contact information, and more can be found online at www.hypnosmagazine.com. Questions and comments should be addressed to the editor, DYLAN HENDERSON. Copyright © 2020 by Hypnos Magazine i CONTENTS THE PIECE MAKERS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ JULEIGH HOWARD-HOBSON 51 Verse THE SHRINE OF THE LIZARD-GOD _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ DAVID R. LLOYD 52 In the middle of the desert, beneath an ocean of sand, something stirs restlessly in the dark HOT DOCTRINE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CHARLES WILKINSON 53 An unhappy couple checks into the Hope Springs Guest House, a decision they come to regret WITCH’S GARDEN _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ RONI RAE STINGER 61 Verse THE SPANIEL TREE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ JOHN WATERFALL 62 A servant sees the brutal crime his young master commits as well as the retribution that follows TROUBLED WATERS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ MICHAEL MAYES 63 An ex-convict returns to Lake Bennington to face the ghost that murdered his brother THE SPIRE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D. J. TYRER 77 Eager for adventure, two college students seek out an entity “alike unto an angel” THE SPECIAL COLLECTION _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ MICHAEL DITTMAN 83 A judge with a guilty conscience will do anything to be reunited with his dead son ANGELS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ JAY CASELBERG 90 While home for the holidays, a young woman must take part in a nightmarish tradition TEMPLES OF FIRE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D. C. MALLERY 93 An American on vacation in Iran can only watch helplessly as her fellow tourists die——one by one HOSPITAL BIRTH _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CHRISTINE J. WHITLOCK 106 The maternity ward on the fifth floor of a decaying hospital houses an unnatural infestation BEHIND THE WALL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TYLOR JAMES 107 From behind the wall, a steady drip calls to a young boy and his sister, urging them to investigate PRECIOUS CARGO _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ KEVIN P. KEATING 114 Two boys, while searching for money and adventure, find only mystery aboard the Lady Cordelia A DROP OF BLOOD _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D. L. HENDERSON 117 The curator of an awful little museum collects geodes that, when cracked open, drip blood REPRINT: AUGUST HEAT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W. F. HARVEY 123 An artist is suddenly inspired to draw a picture of a condemned murderer, whom he then meets CONTRIBUTORS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 126 ii Cicadae By THOMAS FREDRIC JONES T WAS JUST PAST NOON ON SATURDAY, this, he’d looked around guiltily to see if anyone was and for more than an hour Michael had been observing him. I watching impatiently as the old man shuffled to- He’s probably worried about that hellish Mrs. ward him from the farthest row of carousel ponies. Not Aldrich returning, Michael said to himself bitterly. He once had the man looked in his direction on the needn’t worry——she won’t be leaving the compart- platform, and Michael couldn’t help feeling that the ment for a while yet. old coot was ignoring him on purpose. Particularly Somehow, in a limited way, Michael could now maddening was the fact that the eighty- or ninety-year- intuit Mrs. Aldrich’s thoughts. Somehow he knew that old geezer kept halting to examine every animal that she was in the nearby engine compartment (perhaps happened to strike his fancy.