As the winter wind sets garbage cans rolling like tumbleweeds and snowdrifts bury parked cars along with all hope of an early spring, we invite you to maximize your hygge quotient with a hot toddy and our eighty-sixth issue.
According to G. K. “T-Biscuit” Chesterton, “Folk lore means that the soul is sane, but that the universe is wild and full of marvels.” Well, each of this month’s four stories features an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances. Becca Borawski Jenkins describes a world of sideshow performers where the regular dude is the odd one out. Daniele De Serto lives the dream of being a basketball superstar, with amusingly surreal results. Isaac Teile’s low-ranking henchman beats the odds, much to everyone’s annoyed surprise, and Hamdy Elgammal dares to imagine a world where humans and giant insects can fall in love. Speaking of sweet things, the charming cover art from Borda D. Adrian will melt the icicles right off your heart.