Short Fiction by Ryan Scamehorn

In answer to my pleas for fiction and poetry, Ryan Scamehorn, my good friend and traveling companion, sent me his story, The Honor Among Thieves. Set in the rural Cass County landscape of Ryan's youth, it is a haunting story that combines the disparate elements and characters of the Michiana area. It is at once charming and disturbing.

"There is an area in Northeastern Cass County Michigan that holds the reputation as being a refuge for spiritualists, mystics, and Jungians. Nestled within pot-and-kettle country and deep glacially-carved lakes, it is a paradise for campers and spiritual enthusiasts alike. This area became the center of national attention when Thomas Crosslin and his life partner were killed in a standoff with the FBI on Rainbow Farms in Vandalia. Rainbow Farms had been a venue for the political speeches of the Michigan Militia and Libertarian Party, as well as a hedonistic fairground for burnouts, hippies, and nomads. Another point of interest in this area is the Bald Hill meteorite, a porous stone of ferrous metal bastioned upon the crown of a treeless hill. A stone which some in the spiritual community have speculated to be the source of power and attraction which has long drawn many to the area. And it was beside this meteorite that J.J. let Sweetwater in on a little secret."

Click here to read more.

Ryan is a writer from Union, Michigan who was educated at WMU. He has been an English teacher in Korea and Vietnam and will soon be returning to Korea for another year of teaching. Ryan is working on his Masters in Library and Information Science at Wayne State University. He is also an illustrator. Ryan's illustrations for his dark and lovely Dumpy's Pond children's stories can be seen here.

Enjoy!