Of Men and Bones — Rachel Starr Thomson

John Rabbing and his cousin Sagittarius are the favoured grandsons of their grandfather, Smatch, a cheerful old man who plays the bones and holds his eccentric, strong-willed family together like aging glue. Just before Smatch dies, he commits the boys to a deathbed promise: they will always keep music in their lives.

And if a few of Smatch's old friends come by, needing a place to play, the young men will open up their apartment for the cause.

That promise kicks open the door to a parade of strange and quirky musicians whose music haunts and transforms, bringing magic and opening the door to something even more unexpected: hope for a family that is falling apart.

“Of Men and Bones” is a short story.

Rachel Starr Thomson is also the author of Taerith, the Seventh World Trilogy (Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and Coming Day), and other novels and short stories.