This Endless Path
In ‘The River’ by kc dyer, our narrator’s journey begins and ends (or does it?) beside a river. In this elliptical, hypnotic tale, we see that what haunts us, might just be what sets us free.
About the inspiration for this story, kc tells us, “A friend told me about a family member, long ago, who went missing from an asylum. That real-life story didn’t have a satisfactory ending, so I had fun writing this one, instead.“
Tread lightly to the edge of reality, with this excerpt from Issue 16, Autumn 2017.
The River
by kc dyer
Lying here on the bank, I can’t remember much more than the numbing cold in my fingers and the vile taste of the water swirling through my mouth. I have some recollection of scraping my knees. None at all of falling into the river, or even of what river this is. It’s dark and it’s cold and I have a wicked kink in my neck, so I can’t even turn my head to the right to see where in hell I am.
I have strength enough to turn my head left, so I do it. There are a couple of brown leaves and a discarded page or two of an old newspaper. I can just touch the newspaper with the tips of my fingers — they are too numb to feel anything, but there’s enough light to actually see my arm is at least functioning. I stare at the paper — at my fingers on the paper — and I think about pulling it along the ground, sliding it over to cover me. To insulate me from this night and from whatever has put me where I am.
I waken, stiff and damp, with the sheet of newspaper over my face. It slides off with the act of sitting up and I push it indignantly to one side. Has someone covered my face in the night? A few brown leaves are scattered across my legs, too, but that could have just been the wind. I look around, and beside me — not too far away— is a young girl sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees.
“I’m not dead,” I say.
To find out what happens next, pick up your copy of Issue 16, Autumn 2017!
And for more from kc dyer, check out her bestselling ExLibris Adventure series!
kc dyer, the author of books for both teens and adults, has literally travelled around the world in search of fantastic stories. In her most recent novel, An Accidental Odyssey, an unexpected phone call derails a young woman’s wedding plans, and sparks an epic adventure around the magical, modern-day Mediterranean.
kc has spoken before thousands of readers — kids and adults — across Canada, the US, Europe, and Asia. She’s been writer-in-residence at New Westminster Secondary School, and a featured presenter at the Surrey International Writers Conference, the National Council of English Teachers in the US, YouthWrite BC, Young Authors Kamloops, WORD Vancouver, Canadian Authors’ Association, OLA Super-Conference, SFU Southbank Writers, WriteOn Bowen, Word on the Lake, and many others.
Visit kc on Instagram or Twitter. And discover more of her novels at kcdyer.com.
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