On "Miss Orange Blossom County" by Emily Koon (810 words) *****

Emily Koon's tale is a reminiscence of something that sadly is a memory of many children in the United States, including me--the summer of a serial killer. For us, it was the Night Stalker, and it meant that in our unconditioned house the windows had to remain shut at night, and there was no sleeping on the floor next to them. That had been our boon in the summer, that breeze coming in to keep us cool. Koon's killer stalks only teen-aged girls, and the girls in this story aren't quite old enough to get all of the details right, but that's what make the tale all the more heartrending and scary . . . and sad. Read the story here at Tinge.