The brunette downed the bourbon in one swallow. Pushed the shot glass forward. “Pour me another.”

The bartender complied. “You been…” his chin lifted briefly in the direction of the swamps, “out there?”

She laughed. “Honey, the bayou ain’t nothing. I been to the ends of the earth and back.”

Casey Laine comes from a long line of talkative women. She works as Fantasy Editor at Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, and publishes an annual anthology of fiction and poetry for her writing group, Writers Assembled. In her spare time, she chases butterflies with her camera. Find her at Facebook, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, and Amazon.

Editor: Read part 1 of this story here.