Title
615 Words
THE SUM OF US
TALES OF THE BONDED AND BOUNDLAKSA ANTHOLOGY SERIES: SPECULATIVE FICTION
Edited by Susan Forest & Lucas K. Law
LAKSA MEDIA GROUPS INC.
www.laksamedia.com
Laksa Anthology Series: Speculative Fiction
EDITED BY SUSAN FOREST AND LUCAS K. LAWStrangers Among Us: Tales of the Underdogs and Outcasts
The Sum of Us: Tales of the Bonded and Bound
Shades Within Us: Tales of Global Migration and Fractured Borders (forthcoming)
Seasons In Us: Tales of Identities and Memories (forthcoming)
EDITED BY LUCAS K. LAW AND DERWIN MAKWhere the Stars Rise: Asian Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Sum of Us: Tales of the Bonded and Bound
Laksa Anthology Series: Speculative Fiction
Copyright © 2017 by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law
All rights reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, organizations, places and incidents portrayed in these stories are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual situations, events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Laksa Media Groups supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Laksa Media Groups to continue to publish books for every reader.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
The sum of us : tales of the bonded and bound / edited
by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law.
(Laksa anthology series: speculative fiction)
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-0-9939696-9-0 (softcover).—ISBN 978-1-988140-03-2
(hardcover).—ISBN 978-1-988140-00-1 (EPUB).—ISBN 978-1-988140-01-8
(PDF).—ISBN 978-1-988140-02-5 (k****e)
1. Science fiction, Canadian (English). 2. Fantasy fiction,
Canadian (English). 3. Speculative fiction, Canadian (English).
4. Caregivers—Fiction. 5. Mental health—Fiction. 6. Mental
illness—Fiction. I. Forest, Susan, editor II. Law, Lucas K., editor
PS8323.S3S86 2017 C813’.0876208353 C2016-907781-0
C2016-907782-9
LAKSA MEDIA GROUPS INC.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.laksamedia.com
info@laksamedia.com
Edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law
Cover and Interior Design by Samantha M. Beiko
Susan Forest
To my husband,
Don Totten,
My steadfast and lifelong partner, without whom I would be lost;
To my children and their partners and offspring,
Heather Osborne, Alec Osborne, Holly Totten, and Amy Totten,
Who continue to inspire me with their love and passion for life. And they promise to get me a very nice long term care facility on Mars, when the time comes (its true!).
Lucas K. Law
To my siblings,
Adrian Law and Bibiana Law,
and
their families,
Who I think of often and don’t spend enough time with;
To my extended families,
Feist, Keller, Scott, Tipton, and Yochim,
For their generosity and kindness.
They embody the true meaning of caring and sharing;
To my good friend,
Julie Laviolette,
For the joy that Westhill brings all these years.
Table of ContentsFOREWORD - Lucas K. Law
INTRODUCTION - Dominik Parisien
The Dunschemin Retirement Home for Repentant Supervillains - Ian Creasey
Bottleneck - A.M. Dellamonica
Mother Azalea’s Sad Home for Forgotten Adults - James Van Pelt
Things that Creep and Bind - Christie Yant
The Gift - Bev Geddes
The Gatekeeper - Juliet Marillier
The Healer’s Touch - Colleen Anderson
The Crystal Harvester - Brenda Cooper
The Burdens We Bear - Hayden Trenholm
A Mother’s Milk - Heather Osborne
The Mother’s Keepers - Edward Willett
The Oracle and the Warlord - Karina Sumner-Smith
The Beautiful Gears of Dying - Sandra Kasturi
The Gardener - Amanda Sun
Number One Draft Pick - Claire Humphrey
Orang Tua Adventure Home Academy - Charlotte Ashley
Sunshine of Your Love - Nisi Shawl
Good-bye Is That Time Between Now and Forever - Matt Moore
Ambassador to the Meek - Alex Shvartsman
Gone Flying - Liz Westbrook-Trenholm
Am I Not A Proud Outlier? - Kate Story
Blinders - Tyler Keevil
Dreams As Fragile As Glass - Caroline M. Yoachim
AFTERWORD - Susan Forest
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
ABOUT THE EDITORS
COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
APPENDIX
- Writer
