The morning headline said that the season had just opened, which of course we knew; I’d paid for my permit and stored my clothes overnight in a dry-cleaning bag filled with sweaty tee-shirts, a box of doughnuts and some bus exhaust, not easy to come by but absolutely crucial if I didn’t want to spook my prey. And I was sure Juan had done something similar, then indulged in one of his many superstitions, perhaps putting on his right sock and shoe before touching his left ones, or wearing his yellow undershirt, or scribbling on his tongue with pens until he could taste the ink. Most of the people in Hopping John’s diner probably had too, though few would care to admit it. The hunting gene ran deep, even if over the years a lot of people had grown wary of it, or ashamed.
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One Story on your eReader:
One Story is now available on your Amazon Kindle, iOS and Android devices. Stories are auto-delivered wirelessly through the Amazon Kindle app. Electronic subscribers get a new story delivered directly to their eReader device as soon as the physical issue is published. Like the print edition, you can try it for free—all Kindle subscriptions start with a 14-day free trial, and you can cancel at any time during the free trial period. Sign up to receive One Story at the Amazon Kindle Store.
About Us:
One Story is a non-profit literary magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks. Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life.
Because we like a challenge we will publish each writer one time only. This prevents us from relying on a stable of writers and helps us find new and exciting voices. Between September and June, all writers can submit their work.
Since launching in 2002 we have grown to have over 10000 subscribers. Many of the stories we have published have won awards, and many One Story writers have gone on to publish their first (or third, or tenth) books. But what keeps us going is the community we have created. Please join us: subscribe, come to an event, or chat on our blog.
I often tell students struggling with balance to think of their writing as a physical object. Where the narration slows for an emotional beat, where it speeds the action, where it stops for a back flash or sketches out a character—each of these moments affect the overall shape of a story. In our new issue, “Open Season,” the very words on the page begin to take form and shudder to life. And then: they are hunted. What does the word “Kentucky” smell like? How does the word “silicone” feel as it is gutted with a knife? Paul Griner will tell you. In this extraordinary and imaginative tale, a hunter is on a quest for the perfect word. Even as the words grow scarce and harder to find, he is keenly aware of their strength and power. Be sure to read Paul Griner’s Q&A to find out how he created this enchantingly surreal world. I first read “Open Season” on a train, and immediately began to picture track, wheels, engine—their silver color, their weight in my hands. Even now, I find myself looking for hidden words, and on each subsequent read of “Open Season” I fall more deeply under its spell.
A customizable version of our online submission management system is available to publishers through the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (
One Story is now available on your Amazon Kindle, iOS and Android devices. Stories are auto-delivered wirelessly through the Amazon Kindle app. Electronic subscribers get a new story delivered directly to their eReader device as soon as the physical issue is published. Like the print edition, you can try it for free—all Kindle subscriptions start with a 14-day free trial, and you can cancel at any time during the free trial period. Sign up to receive One Story at the 
One Story is a non-profit literary magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks. Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life.
