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.

Hungry
Daughters of Starving Mothers

by 

Alyssa
Wong

As
my date—Harvey? Harvard?—brags about his alma mater and Manhattan
penthouse, I take a bite of overpriced kale and watch his ugly
thoughts swirl overhead. It’s hard to pay attention to him with my
stomach growling and my body ajitter, for all he’s easy on the
eyes. Harvey doesn’t look much older than I am, but his thoughts,
covered in spines and centipede feet, glisten with ancient grudges
and carry an entitled, Ivy League stink.

“My
apartment has the most amazing view of the city,” he’s saying,
his thoughts sliding long over each other like dark, bristling
snakes. Each one is as thick around as his Rolex-draped wrist. “I
just installed a Jacuzzi along the west wall so that I can watch the
sun set while I relax after getting back from the gym.”

I
nod, half-listening to the words coming out of his mouth. I’m much
more interested in the ones hissing through the teeth of the thoughts
above him.

She’s got
perfect tits, li’l handfuls just waiting to be squeezed. I love me
some perky tits.

I’m gonna fuck
this bitch so hard she’ll never walk straight again.

Gross.
“That sounds wonderful,” I say as I sip champagne and gaze at him
through my false eyelashes, hoping the dimmed screen of my iPhone
isn’t visible through the tablecloth below. This dude is boring as
hell, and I’m already back on Tindr, thumbing through next week’s
prospective dinner dates.

She’s so into
me, she’ll be begging for it by the end of the night.

I can’t wait to
cut her up.

My
eyes flick up sharply. “I’m sorry?” I say.

Harvey
blinks. “I said, Argentina is a beautiful country.”

Pretty little
thing. She’ll look so good spread out all over the floor.

“Right,”
I say. “Of course.” Blood’s pulsing through my head so hard it
probably looks like I’ve got a wicked blush.

I’m so excited,
I’m half hard already.

You
and me both, I think, turning my iPhone off and
smiling my prettiest smile.

The
waiter swings by with another bottle of champagne and a dessert menu
burned into a wooden card, but I wave him off. “Dinner’s been
lovely,” I whisper to Harvey, leaning in and kissing his cheek,
“but I’ve got a different kind of dessert in mind.”

Ahhh,
go the ugly thoughts, settling into a gentle, rippling wave across
his shoulders. I’m
going to take her home and split her all the way from top to bottom.
Like a fucking fruit tart.

That
is not the way I normally eat fruit tarts, but who am I to judge? I
passed on dessert, after all.

When
he pays the bill, he can’t stop grinning at me. Neither can the
ugly thoughts hissing and cackling behind his ear.

“What’s
got you so happy?” I ask coyly.

“I’m
just excited to spend the rest of the evening with you,” he
replies.

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

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story