I am neither Oklahoman nor pagan, but the folks at Oklahoma Pagan Quarterly have graciously awarded me first place in the fiction section of their Spooky Samhain contest, for my horror story, Born Free (click on the link to read it for free. Free Born Free. Sigh.).

Born Free is set in a little universe I have been exploring for a while. Professor G, Brian, John, some creepy bloke whose name I forget – each of them neighbours living on one side of a street, facing a tree filled gully that leads to … well, nowhere good.

The gully has many borders. One of them leads is up against a field, down the end of a quiet road, where Susan often wanders to eat her lunch. There she doesn’t have to worry about not fitting in, about the boys playing football, or the girls giving her odd looks. Sometimes, though, things wander out of that gully, to meander in that lonely place. And where one thing leads, others may follow.

Thank you very much Oklahoma Pagans. I hope you enjoy Born Free.