Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE "The End Again" : An unbalanced mono-wheel enthusiast/arsonist witnesses humanoid creatures invade his northern town from the sea and believes they are stealing the moisture from the bodies of the townsfolk. After everyone dismisses him, he desperately rolls down a hill in one of his wheels, set aflame, into a shed full of homemade explosives, setting fire to Kerosene City and forcing the creatures back into the deep from whence they came. "The Drop" : A condemned man on his way to the gallows curses his recent companion, who turned evidence against him in order to stay his own execution. "Elephant Head" : A retired sailor recounts the legend of Captain Nobody, the infamous recluse and tragic antihero who turned his back on humanity after his pregnant wife was crushed by a frightened war elephant. "Carriage Driven Horses" : Penelope Wynn has a big sister who reluctantly provides sanctuary for her sibling from time to time. On these rare visits, Lillian takes every opportunity to talk Penelope out of her dangerous life as the air-pirate known as Dread Penny. "Apparatus in the Basement" : The Professor puts the final touches on his Time Chariot, a converted train car with external “ribs” of railway track, extra panels of bolts, and other assorted mechanisms of questionable origin and intent. "Almost Imaginary" : Our heroes recount their general emotional struggles of having rode the rails of the impossible in the Time Chariot, ending up in this present age, trying to make it feel less like a strange and wondrous abomination against the natural universe(s) than it can ever hope to be. "Kiss the Earth" : Before he was hired by Professor Mangrove to procure parts for the Time Chariot, Malcom spent some time out in the desert towns of the Tamarisk Plains, honing his parlor and confidence games alike. Between cons, though, he always took the opportunity to celebrate life and love, inviting as many townspeople as would join him for drunken celebration under the star-filled skies. "Lemon Lime Girls" : In the industrial city of Two-Cradles, it can almost seem that life on the streets is better than working in the harsh conditions of the stinking, toxic factories that dominate the landscape. With rampant pollution and a strict ration on fresh food and potable water going mainly to those in the higher echelons of Two-Cradles' despot technocracy, however, disease and madness strike down all but the heartiest “fallen creatures”. Visitors to this lurid underworld best be on their guard. The “ladies” on these mean streets are one step from the grave and they'd love for you to join them. "One Eyed, Sleepy Eyed Cat" : Homage to Lokibird, the titular creature and companion to J. Francis. "Dawn/Worst of All" : The coal mining disaster of 1901, in the town of Caroline, left 90 workers dead and at least three people missing. Caroline was to never recover and only a stubborn few stayed on while the rest of the surviving families moved away to start over somewhere else. "Rest beyond the Bend": Jerry was a coral monger. He liked this girl at the train station. Nothing lasts forever. Poor Jerry walked along those sunlit boards into the sunset and heard the whistle blowing. "Old No. 9" : The ghosts of a train disaster in God-Only-Knows drifted away on the spirit wind, settling many miles west in the high desert of the Tamarisk Plains. Anyone can find them, if they know where to look. From the west side of the Crookback Mountains, follow the stretch of unfinished railway until it disappears into the sand and rock. Wait for a storm and keep walking until you think you can just make out a battered sign at an invisible crossroads. Follow the arrow, if you can find it, to the End of the Line and you'll either end up at the deserted ruins of some old outpost or in the glowing embrace of a welcoming inn. Have a drink. Sing a song. Hear a good ghost story. "Long Time Gone" : A father leaves his daughter and sets out on a doomed quest to settle old scores, fulfill ancient debts, and complete his part of a grand and terrible agreement.