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    A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead
    A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead
    A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead
    Ebook22 pages18 minutes

    A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead

    By Ron Leighton

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    About this ebook

    Young Nathaiu frets over the journey of his dead parents in the afterlife.

    When an old man comes to town peddling an incense said to lead the dead straight to the holy father, Orotar, Nathaiu buys a pouch of the stuff.

    When he burns the incense at his evening prayers, he discovers the nature of the old man's magic.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRon Leighton
    Release dateJun 13, 2011
    ISBN9781458033697
    A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead
    Author

    Ron Leighton

    Born of gypsy parents in a small Romanian town in the shadows of the Transylvanian Alps, Ron began writing fiction at the beginning of this sentence. Um, is there time for a do-over? In the Year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty five, and in Albuquerque, NM, the very corazon you might say, of the Land of Enchantment, Ron was born. He started writing after he read Tolkien’s 'Lord of the Rings'. I mean, right after. It was like he was abcessed. Er, obsessed. Along with Conan stories by various people, including Robert E. Howard, of course, Tolkien proved to be an unavoidable inspiration. The twists and turns of his life, especially in the last 10 years, have colored his writing with both humor, sorrow and, he hopes, heart. In addition to promoting his short stories, 'A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead,' 'Child of Chaos' and 'Beneath a Vengeful Sun,' he is busy shopping a full length novel called 'Belt of the Wolf: A Tale of the Shining Lands.'

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      Book preview

      A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead - Ron Leighton

      A Cheerful Smoke for the Dead

      By Ron Leighton

      Copyright © 2011 by Ron Leighton

      Smashwords Edition

      The cover art original image Ladybirds Pagan Incense by Estruda (at deviantart.com) was used with permission.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      ~ * ~

      In the damp, dark cottage three doors from Gergenon’s lone brothel, Nathaiu struggled with the black-haired woman under him, desperate to get what he wanted. Her frantic exhales were visible in the faint light of the hearth, like the fear in her gray eyes. Did she not understand his need? As he gained control of her flailing limbs, and she settled a little, as if out of a fatalistic acceptance, he gripped her harder and pressed closer. He saw one eye fix on him and she trembled as she turned her face away, to escape in some small way, it seemed.

      ****

      A week and a day before, a bone-chilling March wind blew across Artago plain, lifting a swirl of dry snow.

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