Black Water Hawthorns — Kat Simons

Beware the darkest waters, for monsters lurk in their depths…Ph.D. student Deirdre's late nights of study have left her exhausted and punch drunk. But she's so close to the end, so close to finishing her thesis she can taste it. Even the stories of missing people around the Dublin campus can't deter her. Especially when those tales all have logical explanations. The nervous, jumpy energy on campus worries her a little. But she's got too much to do to think about the mysteries.Until a strange dizzy spell bends her world. When she recovers, everything still mostly looks like her college campus in Dublin Ireland. But everything has shifted a bit sideways. Everything looks a little strange. Threatening. And when the red-eyed creature out of myth and legend appears, Deirdre knows she's either lost it…Or she is no longer in the ordinary world.Following a strange creature into a strange realm never ends well for hapless humans. Yet Deirdre finds herself doing just that. Hoping she can find her way home. Before the black water monster lurking among the hawthorns catches her. And traps her forever. Author's Note: This story is also published in the collection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND FAIRY DALES.