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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

“The Burnished Egg” by Dermot Ryan

First appeared in Albedo One.  Won the reader's award.

The McHugh family had one good reader, Liam.  It drove the family nuts, and they condemned him for it.  However, his imagination/ability to read manifested as a literal egg that appeared above his head, showing everything that played out in his head.  Finally, Liam choses to read Paradise Lost, which is larger and more spectacular than any imaginative play.  The audience is in awe of Satan and his demons as the egg grows to a staggering size.  When Liam tries to exit, the vision does not disappear but hangs over the theater, the demons locked, blinking as if waiting for the reading to continue. 


Simple yet effective.  Too bad more writers don’t try this, bringing fantasy closer to home in a resonant a manner.  Variety is good.

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