My modern fantasy story It’s What’s Inside That Counts has been accepted by DreamForge Magazine for publication sometime in 2025. It’s about a young girl who realizes for the first time that there’s a ticking clock inside every living thing.

On the table was a dead pig in a stainless steel tray. I expected the pig to be pink like the ones in the movies, but it wasn’t. Its flesh was a sickly gray color, with a rubbery consistency that reminded me of a popped birthday balloon.

Mrs. Collins held up a scalpel. “Are we ready?”