No Man's Neverland
The rumors spread through the German trenches: the British had deployed a new weapon after the losses in Arras. Survivors of each attack were counted in the single digits, boys who had been drafted despite not being of legal age. Most were incoherent. They spoke of a battalion of criminals bearing patches over eyes and hooks for hands. Others reported a squadron of natives from the Americas, a troop of child soldiers, or half-nude women with sharp teeth who smelled of the sea. The higher-ups suspected a new neurological agent.
One young soldier, the youngest of them all, spoke fervently of a woman dressed in a flowing nightgown spattered with blood. She called a demon, he said, a boy with flame-red hair who cast no shadow. He bore an old-fashioned cutlass, and he flew as he cut through the ranks, crowing and laughing and calling, "Look! Do you see? Look at me!" as if it were all make-believe, as if it were all a game.
The woman had not laughed. She had knelt before the trembling soldier and laid a red-stained hand upon his shoulder.
Enjoying this story? Don't miss the next one!
SUBSCRIBE TO DSF
"This is for John," she had said. "This is for Michael."
She had lifted the soldier's chin and gazed into his eyes.
"You're lost," she had said. "Go home. Go home to your mother."
Clearly the effects of nerve gas, the higher-ups said, despite the fact that many of the victims had been wearing their masks.
She's the one to fear, those in the trenches said. She's the one in charge.
Beware the woman in the nightgown.
Beware the one they call Darling.
The End
This story was first published on Thursday, November 5th, 2020
We hope you're enjoying
No Man's Neverland by
Kim Ball Smith.
Please support Daily Science Fiction by becoming a member.
Daily Science Fiction does not have a paywall, but we do have expenses—more than 95% of which are direct payments to authors for their stories. With your $15 membership, less than 6 cents per story, we can continue to provide genre fiction every weekday by email and on the website to thousands of readers for many years to come. You may also choose to support us via patreon.
Tell me more!
Support Daily Science Fiction
Please click to rate this story from 1 (ho-hum) to 7 (excellent!):
Please don't read too much into these ratings. For many reasons, a superior story may not get a superior score.
4.6 Rocket Dragons Average
Please join our mailing list and
receive free daily sci-fi (your email address will be kept
100% private):