Blackbirdmotel

The attic became a sanctuary for Jane and Morgan as the weather grew cooler and it wasn't quite as hot up there. The baby's crib, now assembled, was pushed into the dark corner where Jane thought she saw...what? The Kraken? She chalked it up to anxiety about her pregnancy but was that all there was to it, this thing that swam through the dark like some inky, black monster? Right now, she was fine with it in the corner but it would have to be moved when the baby was born. December was unseasonably hot. Scary hot. Flowers bloomed out of season. People swam in the ocean again. Everything was off kilter. Morgan and Jane slept with the window open, listening to crickets and the melancholy calls of night birds. As long as Morgan was up there with her, everything felt normal. The monsters shrunk into the dark corner and she could tell herself they were never really there. As they sat on the bed one evening, final exams spread out between them, the soft light of the bedside lamp

Morgan Finch and Wolf Raintree had been friends since high school. Wolf's dad taught them the fine art of archery and horseback riding. Out in the country, surrounded by woods and marshes, they were teenagers again. The gravel road reminded Morgan of the goat trails he and Jane explored in New Mexico. The potholes became small ponds after a heavy rain. They'd had a big breakfast at the cafe before daylight. The two of them made an impression on the waitress with Wolf's dreadlocks and Morgan's Wild Bill demeanor. She'd asked them if they were in a band. "No, honey, we're just hunters trying to feed our families," Wolf told her. "I've got five kids at home, all hungry as red bears." "Goodness," the waitress said. "And what about you? Do you have a brood at home, too?" "I have one on the way," Morgan said. "My wife kicked me out because I was getting on her nerves but she'll take me back when I kill a deer and bring her the testicles." The waitress laughed. "What does she