Berkeley, California. July 4th, 2014.

The Berkeley Marina was packed with parents, children, college students on summer break, dog walkers, senior citizens, and members of every other social group in the Bay Area. A Great Dane ran by, towing his bikini-clad owner on a pair of roller skates. A group of teens walked in the opposite direction, wearing clothes so brightly-colored that they resembled a flock of exotic birds. They were chattering in the rapid-fire patois specific to their generation, that transitory form of language developed by every group of teens since language began. Stacy Mason paused in watching her husband chase her son around the dock to watch the group go past, their laughter bright as bells in the summer afternoon.

She'd been one of those girls, once, all sunshine and serenity, absolutely confident that the world would give her whatever she asked it for. Wouldn't they be surprised when they realized that sometimes, what you asked for wasn't really what you wanted?

"Where are you right now?" Michael stepped up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and planting a kiss against the side of her neck. "It's a beautiful day here in sunny Berkeley, California, and the laser show will be starting soon. You might want to come back."

"Just watching the crowd." Stacy twisted around to face her husband, smiling brightly up at him. "Aren't you supposed to be watching something? Namely, our son?"

"I have been discarded in favor of a more desirable babysitter," said Michael gravely. His tone was solemn, but his eyes were amused.

"Oh? And who would that be?"

Behind her, Phillip shouted jubilantly, "Oggie!"

"Ahhhh. I see." Stacy turned to see Phillip chasing Maize in an unsteady circle while Marigold sat nearby, calmly watching the action. Mr. Connors was holding Marigold's leash; Maize's leash was being allowed to drag on the ground behind him while the Golden Retriever pursued his toddler target. "Hello, Mr. Connors! Where's Marla?"

"Hello, Stacy!" Mr. Connors turned to wave, one eye still on the fast-moving pair. "She went down the dock to get us some lemonades. Hope you don't mind my absconding with your boy."

"Not at all. It'll do both of us some good if our respective charges can run off a little of their excess energy." Stacy leaned up against Michael, watching as Maize and Phillip chased each other, one laughing, the other with tail wagging madly. "Maybe they can wear each other out."

Michael snorted. "That'll be the day. I think that boy is powered by plutonium."

"And whose fault would that be, hmm? I just had to go and marry a scientist. I could have held out for a rock star, but no, I wanted the glamor of being a professor's wife."

This time, Michael laughed out loud. "Believe me, I count my blessings every day when I remember that you could have held out for a rock star."

Stacy smiled at him warmly before looking around at the crowd, the sky, the water. Phillip was laughing, his sound blending with the cries of seagulls and the barking of over-excited dogs to form just one more part of the great noise that was the voice of humanity. She had never heard anything so beautiful in her life.

"I think we should all be counting our blessings every day," she said firmly. "Life doesn't get any better than this."

"Life can always get better." Michael kissed her one more time, his lips lingering light against her cheek. "Just you wait and see. This time next year, we won't be able to imagine looking back on this summer without thinking 'oh, you had no idea; just you wait and see.'"

"I hope you're right," said Stacy, and smiled.

***

The annual Fourth of July laser show at the Berkeley Marina was a huge success this year, drawing record crowds. Replacing the firework displays as of 2012, the laser show has become a showpiece of the year's calendar, and this year was no different. With designs programmed by the UC Berkeley Computer Science Department...

When will you Rise?

Remember how back in March of this year, I had a short story in an anthology called Tales from the Ur-Bar? It was pretty awesome. I had a great time, and the editors were fabulous to work with, and so when Josh and Patricia (see re: the editors) asked me if I thought I might want to do it again, I was delighted. I love anthologies, I love an excuse to write short fiction, and I love working with people who have already proven themselves to be rockin' cool. And so I wrote them a story, and now...

"We Will Not Be Undersold" has been, well, sold to the anthology The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity, edited by Josh Palmatier and and Patricia Bray. The anthology will be coming out in March of 2012, which seems at once very far in the future, and far, far too soon for my taste. It involves a big box super-store, true love, picnic tables, M&Ms, and plastic.

This is most definitely not a Toby universe short story; it contains fae creatures, but they're not playing by the rules of Toby's world, and I bet none of them could take her in a fair fight. At the same time, they're strange and quirky and were a huge amount of fun for me to write, and I really, really enjoyed the process of writing their story. (Story, singular. Unlike Mina Norton or the Fighting Pumpkins, these folks are not turning into a series. Dammit. I absolutely refuse.)

I'll post again as we approach the time when the book will become a sweet reality, rather than a future milestone, but for right now, remember, shop smart. Shop Undermart. We will not be undersold!