Synkroniciti is thrilled to announce the winner of our “Haunting” short story contest, Kurt Newton’s “In the Shadow of the One Who Loves You.” We had forty short stories for this theme–a record for us–and many were quite good. The field was narrowed to six: “In the Shadow of the One Who Loves You” by Kurt Newton, “The Hatter’s Wife” by Lissa Staples, “Juniper Is in the Basement” by Mary Salome, “A Walk in the Snow” by Julie Dron, “Addie, I’m Cold” by Sam Crain, and “Idle Hill” by David H. Weinberger. It was a difficult choice, but Kurt’s polished writing and the uniqueness of his tale, which is rich with Jungian symbolism, stood out as the best of the best.
Marjorie Ingalls is at Costco shopping for Mrs. Singletary, an elderly lady she cares for on Mondays and Thursdays, when she sees a vision of herself standing in the bushes on one of the islands in the parking lot. She’s not one to believe in ghosts and chalks it up to being tired, but the visions keep coming. Mrs. Singletary keeps asking about her love life, and Marjorie can’t bear to tell her that she’s still mooning over a college roommate, Sofia Delgado, and living alone with her cat, Sofie. She is sure the old woman is too conservative to understand.
The turning point of this story is deeply satisfying and there are plenty of dissonant realities along the way that create the deliciously spooky, haunted atmosphere of Marjorie’s world. All is not as it appears to be.
You will want to read “In the Shadow of the One Who Loves You” in Synkroniciti’s “Haunting” issue, Vol. 6, No. 4, available for pre-order here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Kurt Newton’s short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies over the years, including The Dark, Flash Fiction Online, The Fabulist, and Café Irreal. His collection, BRUISES, was recently published by Lycan Valley Press. A young adult collection, DREADFUL SEASONS, is forthcoming from Twisted Dreams Press. Kurt is also an accomplished poet with poetry appearing in Synkroniciti, 34 Orchard, Sublimation, and Hobo Camp Review. His poetry collection, THE BODY SNATCHERS & Other Death Rituals, was just published by Island of Wak-Wak. He is a lifelong resident of Connecticut.