Midnight Menagerie — Carol Hightshoe

Step right up, dear traveler—your ticket to the extraordinary awaits.Beneath the striped canopies of the Midnight Menagerie, wonders stir and nightmares awaken. Strongmen flex their might, fortune tellers spin futures, and acrobats defy the stars. But if it is shadows you seek—if you are drawn to the hush of velvet-draped corners where the line between spectacle and sorcery blurs—then step closer.Here, within these pages, beasts from beyond the veil prowl in cages not quite strong enough. Carnival performers barter in secrets instead of silver. Mystics weave illusions that refuse to fade, and every whispered promise carries a cost. From the neon glow of alien menageries to the flickering lantern light of haunted carnivals, Midnight Menagerie is a collection of the eerie, the wondrous, and the strange.So take your seat, dear reader. The lights are dimming, the curtains are rising... and the show is about to begin.Featuring stories by: Fin Patiliu, Annie Percik, Harriet Pheonix, Robert Miller, Chris Clemens, Caitlin Barbera, Petina Strohmer, Deby Fredericks, E. Florian Gludovacz, DJ Tyrer, Emily A. Grigsby, Tim Newton Anderson, Carol Hightshoe, A.J. Malachite, Stephen W. Chappell, Liam Hogan, Jordan Hirsch, Rose Strickman, Josh Schlossberg, Pat O'Malley, Emily Gennis, Moss Springmeyer, Reggie Kwok, B. Morris Allen, R. Joseph Maas, David Castlewitz, Benjamin M. Weilert, Charles Kyffhausen, and Gregg Chamberlain