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Baggage of Eternal Night

Eric J. Guignard

First published September 2013
Type Short Fiction
Length Novella

Synopsis

1963 Detroit is a hotbed of gambling, and the weekly baggage auctions keep a busy trade. Regulars, Charlie Stewart and Joey Third, are skilled in the methods of successful bidding, but when Joey lands a mysterious suitcase, the thrill of winning turns to fear once they realize they've opened something sinister. Inside the suitcase is an antique gramophone, and the music it plays is unlike anything these men have heard before. A chanting voice speaks to them in strange words and begets visions of a dark, frozen land. It's a voice that makes them sick with addiction, and it continues chanting in their heads even when the record stops playing. Charlie sets out to solve the mystery of who recorded the unholy music and how to turn it off forever. But time is against him, and the urge to listen—the addiction—to the song grows stronger. And the more it plays, the more the aural virus spreads, until people begin to vanish… feeding the soul of a spirit seeking immortality.

Awards

YearAwardCategoryStatus
2013 Bram Stoker Award Superior Achievement in Long Fiction Nominee/Finalist

Publications (1)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
September 2013 Smog / Baggage of Eternal Night JournalStone Anthology