Shannon Scott, a faculty member in the English department at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, recently wrote a story titled “My Containment” that ran in Nightmare Magazine, a popular horror and dark fantasy subscription.
“My Containment” is a short story that follows the connection between an American man and a mysterious woman, who has the ability to transform into different forms, including a fish. The man becomes infatuated with her and brings her to his home, where he keeps her confined to a bathtub. She tries to escape but is trapped until the man’s son arrives home. The woman takes the opportunity and escapes with the child, using her abilities to find a nearby river. It ends with her jumping off a cliff and into the river with the child, defying the man and taking back her freedom.
Scott’s story was also chosen to be a part of Nightmare’s podcast, where it is read by a voice actress. Scott also has contributed to collections published by Manchester UP and Routledge; co-edited Terrifying Transformations: An Anthology of Victorian Werewolf Fiction, 1838-1896; and published short fiction in Nightscript, Coppice and Brake, Dark Hearts Anthology, The Other Stories, Oculus Sinister, Nightmare Magazine, Midnight Bites, and Water~Stone Review. Scott also has two lecture series on Audible Originals.
Read the full story here.