FLEETING, FLEEING INTO THE NIGHT BY LENA NG

"With each visit, however, instead of warming to him, I felt a hidden horror. As though his handsome face and fit physique held a soul rotting inside. He spoke smoothly, too smoothly, his words edged like stone-sharpened swords, but something always felt wrong. His smiles held something sinister; his eyes weren't clear and I couldn't see beneath their glittering surfaces… If there was something wrong, could I change him? Could evil be changed into good?"

Fleeting, Fleeing into the Night is the sixth of our announced features, a gothic fairy tale with undertones of terror. With Short Fiction, we explore the various subgenres of horror in creative and unexpected ways.

Under the cover of wind and darkness, the highwayman comes seeking a bride, the miller’s daughter, a young woman with silvern hair and strangely-coloured eyes, a young woman with little fortune and few other prospects. He woos her with roses the colour of lamb’s-blood rubies and boxes of gorgeous garments. Despite his wealth, dark handsomeness, and promises of security, however, there is something monstrous about him. All her instincts tell her to flee. Told in the style of a dark fairy tale, she uncovers the mystery and horror of her betrothed—who he really is—on a journey to ultimately discovering who she is herself.

Despite his wealth, dark handsomeness, and promises of security, however, there is something monstrous about him.

Lena Ng grew up in the quiet and solitude of small-town Southwestern Ontario while seeking adventure, turmoil, and romance in books. She now skulks around Toronto, Ontario. Although she mainly writes horror, she has also written in other genres including comedy, children’s stories, romance, science fiction, and fantasy. She is a digital hermit, but her publications can be found on Goodreads and Amazon, including her self-published short story collection Under an Autumn Moon.

Online, her stories can be found in Hybrid Fiction, Zooscape (animal stories), and Polar Borealis (Canadian content). She is seeking a publisher for her first novel, Darkness Beckons, a Gothic romance.