Hekate and Diana. Odin and Apollo. Freyja and the Witch-Lord. Eternal Haunted Summer was born in the late summer of 2009. It was created as a place where Pagans and polytheists and witches (and non-Pagans with a love of the old myths) could feature their short stories and poems and essays with those of a like mind and similar beliefs and practices. EHS has grown steadily over the years, due entirely to the wonderful contributors whose works fill its digital pages. Without their creativity and talent, EHS would not exist; it would have disappeared long ago. This thirteenth anniversary edition is a celebration of their work. I love every piece that appears in Eternal Haunted Summer, and I just wish that I could have included them all here. These poems, essays, and short stories range from tragic to triumphant, from exciting to despairing, from comic to horrific, from grotesque to sensual, from erotic to subtle; here you will find odes to terrible Gods, exciting tales of adventure, melancholy meditations on creation, and wonderings at the nature of human and divine hearts. These are the best of Eternal Haunted Summer. I hope that you find them as inspiring as I do.

Since that first kill, Lily had been speechless and the rate at which Aaron would present her with new guests would keep her gagged by shock for weeks. Unable even to respond, Lily would watch in a state of stunned terror as Aaron hacked away at arms and legs, buried his face into the empty cavities of hollowed out torsos and scrape his bloodstained teeth across bones picked clean of flesh. The cleaning would take days and Lily would never quite finish before the next one would arrive. Days were spent scrubbing floors, walls, doors, the bath, the sink. The long, lonely drives out into the woods, the lakes, the mountains, all new places to heave bags of clothes and bits of bodies off cliffs or down holes. No more, Lily thought. Not now. "You know he's going to kill you!" she spluttered, suddenly aware of herself. Robin and Aaron stared at her, dumbfounded. "He's going to kill you, Robin!" From - "Hungry" by Karl Arbuthnot

On a visit to one of the parks in the north of the country, my father and I lined up to ride a roller coaster that had been themed around a 90's action film. It was the ride of the moment, one of those ones where you sat hanging on the outside rather than sitting inside an enclosed car, and it seemed like every man and his dog had lined up with us."You two can't get on," said one of the ride workers. "Too tall. Your feet will scrape along the concrete, or it'll take your leg right off."This comment stuck with me over the years, and at times I would wonder just what would have happened if we had managed to sneak onto the ride. Nothing good I imagine.Thuggish Itch's Theme Park is a collection of sixteen short stories that delve into the weird, wonderful and sometimes dark world of carnivals, fun fairs and theme parks. Lower your lap bar, strap yourself in, and prepare for the ride...