In celebration of the recently released THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, Tachyon and editors Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman present glimpses into the future of fantasy from several of the volume’s magnificent tales.

The
One They Took Before

by

Kelly
Sandoval

craigslist
> seattle > all seattle > lost&found

Sat
23 Jul

FOUND:
Rift in the Fabric of the Universe – (West Seattle)

Rift
opened in my backyard. About six feet tall and one foot wide. Appears
to open onto a world of endless twilight and impossible beauty. Makes
a ringing noise like a thousand tiny bells. Call (206) 555-9780 to
identify.

Kayla
reads the listing twice, knowing the eager beating of her heart is
ridiculous. One page back, someone claims they found a time machine.
Someone else has apparently lost their kidneys.

The
Internet isn’t real. That’s what she likes about it. And if the
post is real, the best thing she can do is pretend she never saw it.

After
all, she’s doing better. She sees a therapist now. She’s had a
couple of job interviews.

She
calls the number.

“Hello?”
It’s a man’s voice. Kayla can’t identify his accent.

“Oh.
Hi.” Her words come out timid and thin, almost a whisper. She
stands and starts pacing the length of her apartment, stepping over
dirty clothes and cat toys. “I’m calling about your Craigslist
ad.”

“Oh!”
He sounds surprised, but not displeased. “I’m glad to hear from
you. So, when did you lose it?”

“Pardon?”

“The
rift. When did you lose it?”

Yesterday?
A thousand years ago? Time was meaningless there. She’s pretty sure
it all happened a very long time ago.

“It’s
complicated,” she says.

For more info about THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story