My Throat an Open Grave

Growing up in the small town of Winston, Pennsylvania, feels like drowning. Leah goes to church every Sunday, works when she isn’t at school, and takes care of her baby brother Owen. Like every girl in Winston, she tries to be right and good and holy. If she isn’t, the Lord of the Wood will take her, and she’ll disappear like so many other girls before her. But living up to the rigorous standards of the town takes its toll. One night, when Owen won’t stop screaming, Leah wishes him away, and the Lord listens. The screaming stops, and all that’s left in the crib is a small bundle of sticks tied with a ribbon. Filled with shame and the weight of the town’s judgment, Leah is forced to cross the river into the Lord of the Wood’s domain to bring Owen back＂--

Tori Bovalino is the editor of the bestselling horror anthology The Gathering Dark and the author of Not Good for Maidens. She lives in London.