Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: chipper
  • Music: Counting Crows, "Round Here."

Let's get back to Buckley, shall we?

It's time for some free fiction. Hooray! Halloween may be over, but there's always time for one more trick and one more treat before the sun sets on the holiday for another year.

In "Snakes and Ladders," Frances Healy is preparing to take her little girl out for a fun night of trick or treating. Of course it's safe. How could it be anything but for young Alice, when she has her heavily-armed mother and her ghost babysitter right there by her side? Unfortunately, some people have other plans for the holiday, and those plans aren't nearly as sweet as candy...

You can download the new story now from the InCryptid short fiction page.

This also serves as your discussion post.
Tags: incryptid, short fiction
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  • 35 comments

vixyish

November 3 2014, 17:24:38 UTC 2 years ago

I LOVE THIS STORY I LOVE THIS STORY I LOVE THIS STORYYYYYYYYYYYYY

seanan_mcguire

November 3 2014, 17:38:20 UTC 2 years ago

So many religious rituals were born here!

sylphon

2 years ago

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ghoti

November 3 2014, 17:52:59 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you! You are so very good to us, always.

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 17:58:34 UTC 2 years ago

<3

Jesslyn Hendrix

November 3 2014, 17:58:37 UTC 2 years ago

Thanks much! Always appreciate your fiction--free or not!

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 17:58:49 UTC 2 years ago

You are very, very welcome.

beccastareyes

November 3 2014, 17:59:33 UTC 2 years ago

I love the ending. And Alice is demonstrating a level of cleverness here.

(I was chuckling at Fran and Naga's conversation as they dealt with the snake cult. Because why snakes, really?)

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:25:09 UTC 2 years ago

Alice isn't stupid. She's just sometimes violent before she's smart.

reedrover

November 3 2014, 18:28:24 UTC 2 years ago

Loved it! This is great survival food when stuck on interminable conference calls at work.

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:25:37 UTC 2 years ago

I am glad to have helped!

acelightning

November 3 2014, 18:34:22 UTC 2 years ago

Perfect timing! My dental surgery has been moved to tomorrow morning, and now I have something new to read while I'm recovering (and stoned clear into the middle of next week on painkillers). Thanks!

acelightning

November 5 2014, 08:41:25 UTC 2 years ago

Wow, thanks! All I did all day was sleep, eat chocolate pudding, and read, and I'm so happy I had new reading material! Alice is a very smart girl - which is no surprise, though, considering who her parents are. But I think the mice are also a good influence on her... and she's a good influence on them. Now all I need to know is what becomes of Naga in future adventures...

seanan_mcguire

2 years ago

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acelightning

2 years ago

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anne_d

November 3 2014, 20:30:35 UTC 2 years ago

I can't tell you how much I needed cheering up after a week of flu, and how much I adored this. Alice is certainly Fran's child - I think I hurt myself laughing.

"Snake cults, always snake cults". You mean like " At first we thought they were just another snake cult"? *dies*

Thank you, Seanan, this was a delightful treat.

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:57:41 UTC 2 years ago

Snake cults are a serious concern!

Alice is most definitely her mother's daughter.

universal_gm

November 3 2014, 20:38:06 UTC 2 years ago

I thought you'd be amused by exactly what went through my head when I saw this post: "No, no, no! There CANNOT be a new InCryptid story today! How am I supposed to make up for missing my word count goal yesterday now?!" So, yeah, I apparently consider reading InCryptid stories a higher priority than writing my own stuff.

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:57:53 UTC 2 years ago

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww. <3

geekhyena

November 3 2014, 21:11:57 UTC 2 years ago

It was so great to meet Naga after hearing him mentioned. I hope we see more of him! He reminds me a bit of T'kaa from the Immortals Quartet, in all the best ways.

Also, I think Fran would be amused to find out that eventually there would be a kitten cult: it's called the Internet ;p

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:58:12 UTC 2 years ago

He'll be around a bit.

calico_reaction

November 4 2014, 03:13:38 UTC 2 years ago

YAY!!! Can't wait to read it!

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:58:22 UTC 2 years ago

Yay!

idancewithlife

November 4 2014, 05:23:33 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you so much for the story! It was great.

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:58:35 UTC 2 years ago

I am glad you liked it.

marooux13

November 4 2014, 23:21:12 UTC 2 years ago Edited:  November 4 2014, 23:27:07 UTC

Half way through the story I was Oh sh%&!!! Those crazy rituals, those crazy people, great story!!!

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:58:47 UTC 2 years ago

Hee, yay.

evieeros

November 5 2014, 01:37:42 UTC 2 years ago

BWHAHAHAH poor Jonathan!

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:58:59 UTC 2 years ago

His life is pain.

vettecat

November 5 2014, 03:13:23 UTC 2 years ago

Yay! Thank you! Great timing, it's been kind of intense here lately... so nice to have a new story to enjoy. LOVE the ending!

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:59:09 UTC 2 years ago

I am very glad.

lazzchan

November 9 2014, 17:05:30 UTC 2 years ago

Wow, I must've missed this when you first posted it, but wandering around your website today rewarded me. :) Thank you for writing this, I was jumping up and down with happiness and gleeing and omg, snake cults. I was laughing so hard over that. I love how little bits of what's happening with Fran and Johnny crop up later with Verity and Alex and Antimony. :D Thank you for writing this!

seanan_mcguire

November 9 2014, 22:59:22 UTC 2 years ago

Very welcome!

grassrose

November 11 2014, 15:02:44 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you!

seanan_mcguire

November 12 2014, 23:47:31 UTC 2 years ago

Very welcome.