Freeze Headache
by M.V. Montgomery


I boarded the old streetcar on St. Charles, took a seat, and saw a sign: Frozen Drinks, 25 cents. An old woman handed me a plastic cup and said I could help myself. There were syrup bottles of flavors that seemed strangely out of date: clove, bergamot, horehound, absinthe. Since I was alone, I took my time sampling them all.

Then, sated, I knew what I must do. I disembarked in the Garden District and turned down Washington Avenue into the City of the Dead.

In short time, I was approached by a beautiful pale being with long flowing red curls. She was garbed in a nineteenth-century gown. I put up no resistance as she bit into my neck and began to drink her fill.

A few seconds later she was on the ground, writhing and clutching her head.


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Since his first fiction piece appeared in Weirdyear in February, M.V. Montgomery has had work published in over twenty-five journals. His first collection of flash fiction titled Dream Koans will be released later this year by Fast Forward Press.