Phegru's Revenge is the third short story I've read from Shaw. In just a few pages she takes us on a whirlwind ride of fear becoming hopelessness, morphing into acceptance, turning into want, and finally becoming loss. But wait a minute, the title says "Revenge." Where does that come in you ask. In the sweetest bit of horrifying justice (sort of) you could imagine.
Kylie has been kidnapped and told it's for her own good. He tells her she hosts a demon that must be exorcised. And so her kidnapper proceeds to do what she believes is an exorcism. Her captivity is a long one. After three years, Kylie is finally released. By this time, she has come to depend on her captor and is reluctant to go.
I'm going to side-step for a moment, but I'll come back to discussing the story. Many years ago, a friend was explaining part of her belief system. Karma she said, is our reward or punishment in a future life based on our actions in this one. Dharma is similar, the difference being we reap in this life what our actions have sown. So, back to my thoughts on this story.
What neither Kylie nor her captor knew was that she really was host to a demon. A very. Particular. Demon. When her captor reappears in her life, he's no longer dealing with Kylie, and dharma is about to come calling.
I found Shaw's writing to be very singular, or maybe driven would be a better choice of words, in this story. I could almost, but not quite, sense the way the story would end. I found the ending to be ironic and grinned. Shaw makes me glad I gave up my hard stand against short stories. I enjoyed this one as much as the other two. I'm pretty sure you will too. Well written, well edited, and very well thought out. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars
This book is currently only available from Amazon.
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