Under the Technicolor Lightning

A Threat from Above

While enjoying a romantic Summer Solstice concert, Kath and Macie catch sight of a peculiar sky.

One that quickly turns sinister.

Things only get stranger from there.

Will they manage to escape, or will the longest day turn into their last day?



Part of Summer Solstice, an Uncollected Anthology

An excerpt from Under the Technicolor Lightning

A Light Show to Charm the Gods


I'm not ashamed to admit I jumped about a foot when Macie grabbed my arm.


"Those clouds look strange to you, Kath?"


"Yeah, you could say that. I've never seen a storm surround a place before. Even the eye of a hurricane moves. But it's still not thundering or anything, so I think we should be fine."


She gazed around herself, leaning closer to me. She'd worn one of those loose, flowy blouses I liked so much, and even in the seemingly endless twilight, the dark blue made her eyes light up. Her girlyness is a fantastic match to my jeans-and-t-shirt aesthetic.


"I guess so," she said, her voice positively drowning in doubt. "It's not like the temperature dropped or anything. Does make me wonder if Skyler was right about weird energy in the air tonight."


That brought another Weird Nineties hangover in the person of my cousin Skyler, who'd actually been the one to introduce me to Macie several years ago. Back when it seemed like we'd all dabbled in the kind of New Age oddities going on that night with the solstice drumming circles and dance rituals and smudge-stick parties all around us.


Skyler had indeed shivered when we'd mentioned going out instead of staying home, suggesting we should bring along some kind of amulet for protection.