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  "Oh well," Karin says. "No harm done, even perfect children have a bad day sooner or later. He'll be bright and sunny by the time he comes back."

  "He won't be back," Blanca murmurs right before she slams the door and the alarm system kicks in.

  Odd, Karin thinks. This is a little odd.

  Then Danny comes out of his room and for the first time ever, he looks absolutely, completely and totally glad to see her. "Hi Mom, I missed you, Mom."

  With a minimal flicker of guilt Karin says carefully, "Denny?"

  And is oddly satisfied when the child says clear as a bell and right as rain and right on the button just exactly what she hoped he'd say, "Mommy, don't you know me?" Smiling, seraphic. "It's me, Mom. Danny."

  For a second. Just a split second, she considers. Then she wraps her arms around her child and picks him up. "I know you are," she says, hugging him close. Closer. Forever. "I know my own sweet Danny when I see him."

  About the author

  Kit Reed calls herself "transgenred," as she's never quite figured out where she belongs in the market, probably because she writes for her readers– and herself. Her novels include mainstream fiction, psychothrillers and SF. Enclave is her most recent. P.S. Publishing released What Wolves Know this year, with stories that originally appeared in Postcripts, the Yale Review, F&SF, Asimov's SF and the Kenyon Review.

  more about infinity plus singles

  Short stories: read in a single sitting at lunch or in the evening, explore unfamiliar authors, take a chance ... try a single!

  Remember the days when we all bought vinyl 45s, singles, and if we liked them enough went on and bought the LP? Here's a set of literary singles, a genre fiction hit parade: each volume a complete short story. And if you like it enough, why not go on and buy more from that author?

  Our authors include Sarah Ash, Keith Brooke, Eric Brown, John Grant, Kaitlin Queen, Kit Reed, Iain Rowan, Anna Tambour, Lisa Tuttle, Neil Williamson and more – winners of major genre awards including the Hugo, the World Fantasy Award, and the British Science Fiction Award.

  For full details of infinity plus ebooks and singles see www.infinityplus.co.uk/books