Thanks for supporting The Wand that Rocks the Cradle! Today you’re in for a treat: the first of our story excerpts! You’ll be happy to know that the stories are nearly finished with the first round of edits, which let’s us raise the curtain just a little bit. As the days go by, we are going to be periodically posting excerpts from the stories in the anthology to give you a little taste of the full package. Our first excerpt is the beginning of the short story “Dead in First Grade,” by P.L. Sundeson. Enjoy!
As an only child who did not play with many other children, Emma Peters had no one to tell her what school was or should be like. She was sure, though, that your teacher was not supposed to be dead.
* * *
Emma knew the days of the week, and she knew Thursday was a Work Day. So she was startled to see Daddy, in his dark gray suit and tie as always, waiting outside their gate that cool September morning. She threw herself down the steps and hugged him around his waist. “Daddy! I’m glad you came. Mommy said you had work.”
Daddy stroked her head. “I couldn’t let my little girl go to her first day of school without me.”
