Free Fossiloctopus by Forrest Aguirre

anniversary, but I cannot, from here on out, think of anniversaries. I must not. Time is short, but let me explain. In this business, you sometimes must take what you are given when it is given, strike while the iron's hot, as they say. When I found the possibility of procuring these morbid beauties, I had to make a quick decision to grab them. In August of 2000, the Russian submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea due to the accidental explosion of a number of torpedoes. The explosion was strong enough to be detected by seismographs. Though most of the crew died in the initial blasts, several of them held on for several days awaiting a rescue that was too slow to save them, mainly due to Russia's stubborn resistance to several offers of help from the international community. Ultimately, those who had survived the explosions slowly died of suffocation as oxygen ran out. One can only imagine their final hours in that dark place, deep beneath the murky sea, eyes wide with fear as their breath was squeezed out of them. This will be my final shipment to each of you, as my business partnership with Aimee is at a dead end. Please accept, as your final subscription's issue, one of 24 authentic teeth from victims of the Kursk disaster, each mailed in a medicine bottle, the information appearing on the label being of no consequence to you. And now, I sail off alone. It's been an . . . interesting ride. Bon Voyage!
     
     
     
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    About the Author:
     
    Forrest Aguirre’s fiction has been published in over fifty magazines and anthologies. His work has received honorable mentions in several Year’s Best anthologies and he was a finalist for the StorySouth Million Writers Award. Forrest is also a World Fantasy Award recipient and Philip K. Dick Award finalist for his editing of the Leviathan 3 anthology with co-editor Jeff VanderMeer. Forrest lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, children, and ferret.
     
    Discover other titles by Forrest Aguirre at Smashwords.com
     
    Connect with me online:
    https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/forrestaguirre
    Google+: Forrest Aguirre
    Blog: forrestaguirre.blogspot.com
    Twitter: @Forrestaguirre
     
    The stories in this volume originally appeared in the following venues:
     
    The Bones of Ndundi: Notre Dame Review
    Fossiloctopus: Gargoyle
    Four Canopus: Exquisite Corpse
    Jamalerdapala’s Refractor: American Letters & Commentary
    Kaleidoscopes of Africa: 3rd Bed
    Keys I Don’t Remember: Polyphony
    Nancy Davis’ Bridal Veil: Previously Unpublished
    The Seven Tattoos of Inisto Cantaglia: Prague Literary Review
    Strange Fruit: Cafe Irreal
    Submissions Status: Diagram
    Subscription: Pear Noir!