As an homage to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner,
The Jonah Collector is a lyrical prose, seafaring narrative set in the 1700s.
Captain Christopher Houston is a
seafaring man. He lives on the sea. He is the best ship captain in the
world. He is also deceased.
In
this epic tale, we discover that in his youth, Captain Houston
committed a heinous crime. He lied about his age to get onboard a ship
because his father had died. The young man wanted to support his mother by earning a wage. Unfortunately, he was too inexperienced.
He found himself labeled a Jonah, the weakest link, and forced to walk
the plank.
As his ship sailed away,
the ocean took him down to the Locker. In the Depths, a beautiful
mermaid made him a deal. Captain Houston did not understand the contract
that saved his life, and was later able to nullify the mermaid's evil
intent because he was not of age to consent to such an agreement.
Years
had passed since his encounter. Something inside of him stirred. He
knew that his youthful mistake was about to catch up with his present.
Unbeknownst to him, the
mermaid, Aetheshella, devised a scheme to lure Christopher back to her
through fate. She went after his son. Now, Captain Houston has a choice:
save his son or himself.
Will he be the next victim of The Jonah Collector?
This short story will be released on June 23, 2023.
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