Story of the Month – “Edges”

I read this story in June but lately the memory of it keeps returning.  It’s likely due to a combination of the creepiness of the story, Marge Simon’s artwork, and Guy Maddin.  What does Guy Maddin have to do with it?  The last decade or so when I see images of Canadian hockey players I think of Maddin’s movies… and I’m going to see one of his movies this month.  I don’t think Kirchmeier even indicates the hockey players or the team in his story are Canadian; it’s just this reader’s interpretation.

The magical device or object that keeps someone in at their prime is not a new literary device.  However, I don’t recall an object quite like the one featured in Kurt Kirchmeier’s story.  The object usually has an unpleasant or unforeseen consequence and “Edges” has both.  Kirchmeier doesn’t waste words describing the history of how the object came to be used or how long it had been in use.  The reader’s imagination determines how long the edge has been used by the team. 

Marge Simon’s drawn interpretation of the object is simple yet effective.  The mind’s eye fills in the details of the wings.

Be sure to check out “Edges” when you get a chance.  It was published in the June issue of Niteblade which you can read online with advertisements or purchase a .pdf version with no ads.  I regularly have book reviews published in Niteblade.  Other than consistently choosing wonderful stories, Rhonda had no influence over me picking a story from Niteblade for me to feature this month.