Since I’ve now switched on payments for my archived posts, my free subscribers no longer have access to my older stuff.
So, for my newer subscribers, who have not had chance to read my earlier stuff, I’ll be putting out the occasional re-post of selected stories.
Here’s my first engagement with Substack, from 4th August 2024.
Enjoy!
Welcome to Perchance to Dream: Stories by Denarii. This is my first posting on Substack. I hope to add something here every week. This will be the place where I intend to showcase my short stories, novel extracts and the occasional piece of comment. If you enjoy this page please consider subscribing.
My forthcoming book Will You Walk Into My Parlour and Other Stories, comprising twenty-seven tales of all things supernatural, is due to be published by Crystal Clear Books on 1st October 2024. It will soon be available to pre-order direct from the publisher and from other online sources.
Here is the first of my stories. It was previously published by the British Fantasy Society in March last year. If you prefer to listen, I have attached an audio version.
The End Of The Revolution
By Denarii Peters
The war between the foxes and the rats ended without any casualties on either side. They recognised in each other a species of equal cunning and with a common enemy. Though not often hunted any more, both fell frequent victim to poison and traps. What they needed was a revolution.
They agreed to share the food from the plastic bins. Beyond that, foxes liked rabbits, which were of no interest to rats and rats preferred mouldy bread and cheese, which were of no interest to foxes.
They also agreed, in order to rise up against their enemy, they required a treaty with the dogs but negotiations did not go well. These had once been wolves, proud with streaming tails. They had surrendered their birthright for a place by the fire at night. They had forgotten how to survive. Even turned loose, they could not remember.
There was hope. The smaller ones, who the enemy sometimes used to hunt the rats, might be persuaded but too many looked at enemy and saw friend. Another ally had to be recruited. One of the rats suggested the cats but added they should appoint a fox as lead negotiator.
Not one of the rats attended the meeting. They insisted the reason was not fear but dislike and, besides, they ought to show solidarity with their smaller cousins, the mice.
Not many cats came either. It was a warm day. They preferred to lie in the sun. They had no leader and sat apart from each other. They had no interest in dealing with the enemy. What enemy? They always took what they wanted, came and went as they wished. This was a boring subject. Was that a whisker over there?
Negotiations in ruins, the foxes departed.
The birds approached the foxes and the rats. They wanted to help. True, some of the enemy did feed them but others stole their eggs, kept them in cages and shot at them. The forests continued to vanish and everywhere there were signs of how arrogant the enemy had become. The birds might not be able to bite or scratch but they could spy, take messages and
enough of them together could strip a field of grain in minutes. The enemy did not like to go hungry. It was agreed the birds would be useful allies.
Time to approach some of the other animals and begin the revolution.
In the end it was the insects who carried the day. No-one had thought to talk to the bees and wasps but they joined in anyway. The pollinators went hungry for a season but thought it worth it. The scorpions and the tsetse flies the enemy had tried to eradicate saw a way to survive. The locusts swarmed into the fields and the ants swarmed into the buildings. Everywhere the enemy died.
Victorious, the allies stood together until a squabble broke out over who should have the last contents of the last plastic bin.
I hope you enjoyed the story. I’ll be posting another one next Sunday. Please feel free to comment below. And I do so like a like