Bait

Short Story by Robin Aurelian

Navin, his big bullying sister, and his exasperated parents go on a hunting trip. But the world is a juxtaposition of modern generic America and a darker-than-average generic fantasy land, so they are hunting dragons, outlaws, and trout. The tone tends towards a darker sarcastic version of cheerful stereotypes and definitely makes you grin a couple times. But it isn't exactly funny. The climax is the stuff of fairy tales and horror stories, although the author's light treatment makes it a tense sort of fun. The ending is ambiguous in a non-standard way: we know exactly what happened, but aren't really sure if it is happy or horrific, probably a little of both.

And that really sums up the story, it is a cheerful, irreverent look at some horrible fantastic happenings with an ending that leaves you unsure of whether to smile or worry. 3.5 out of 5 readers didn't realize how parasitic pixies lay their eggs.