Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater by Brent Michael Kelley

Above him, just beyond jumping range, his anchor hung at the end of a chain. He swayed, drunkenly, and kicked the tree. You're gonna give it on back, or I'll chop you into kindling, set your ass on fire, and piss on your ashes!' Chuggie's voice slurred a bit, as usual. Just west of Stagwater, Chuggie paced angrily beneath the tree. Smoke rose from tall stacks throughout the city. A grand bridge stretched over the water, a thick-timbered testament to the city's ambition. A protective wall wrapped around the city like a horseshoe, meeting the rushing river at two points on Stagwater's east side. In The Mag's remote Mid-North, Stagwater nestled in the elbow of the Staghorn River. He pulled the chain with all his might and wished he had someone else's luck. He kicked the tree with his road-worn boots. He swayed on the bare hilltop, travel-weary and intoxicated. Heads shout to make their voices heard, but cannot comprehend the word.Ĭhuggie stood beneath the dead tree, glaring up at the chain tangled in its branches. Shadows planted long ago find rich soil in which to grow.Ī travel'r comes from days long gone. Without your writing workshop, this story would still be a pile of confusing gibberish collecting digital dust on my hard drive. You’ll be hearing from me again on the next one.Īnd thanks to Jeremy C. To the chums who critiqued my story early on, thank you for your honest thoughts about my work. Thanks to my friends and family for their encouragement and inspiration. Thanks to my publisher, Kate Jonez, for liking my story enough to print it and for helping me hammer it into something others might like to read.

Your patience, support, and feedback have made this book possible. This is for my beautiful wife Keri, who toils in the mines all day so I can sit at home typing with a dog on my lap. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author and publisher. Cover Illustration Copyright © 2011 Matthew BakerĪll rights reserved.

Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater by Brent Michael Kelley