First Lines
Reaching the Ocean
The house slumped across its lot, a worn-out carcass, stretches of graying, wooden bone exposed. After seven highways and six states, the three of them, Minnow, Momma, and Annabelle, had finally reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts—just as Momma had promised they would. This place was what Great Uncle Tobias called his rental property. Whatever its name, it definitely wasn’t their real home.
“It’s okay, Annabelle.” Clutching the cat to his chest, Minnow stared at the house. He pressed his lips against one of her flattened ears, breathing in her oily, dry-fur scent. But even Annabelle couldn’t disguise the musty odor of rot and saltwater that flooded in from all directions.
The Magazine
Black Static is the UK’s premier horror and dark fantasy magazine.