Mud Season — Sarah Stewart Taylor

Enter the world of 1960s Bethany, Vermont in this suspenseful short story featuring characters from the forthcoming Agony Hill.

It's mud season in Bethany, Vermont. As spring nears, the thawing ground and melting snow-pack have created muddy, impassable roads. It's not unusual to see a driver pushing their car or going for help. But a car with Pennsylvania plates has been completely abandoned, still stuck in the mud.

Alice Bellows, an inquisitive widow who seems to know everything going on in town, can't help but wonder what would lead someone to abandon their car like that. All that's left in the car are two suitcases sitting in the trunk, no registration or keys. The police aren't too concerned about the abandoned car, but Alice thinks there's more to the story. Not sure what she'll find or who may get hurt, she takes it upon herself to find the car's owner and what they're hiding in her small town.