Merganser Magazine

A KISS AND A KEY by Justin Ocelot 🗝️😶‍🌫️

"King Peridor stepped out of the dream and closed the door behind him.

A thief he was, stealing from his own daughter’s mind. He ought to feel ashamed, but he didn’t. His parents, after all, had done the same to him..."

Read the full story at the link below!

mergansermagazine.com/story/a-kiss-and-a-key/

And find more of Justin's work at justinocelot.com!

THE VENTRILOQUIST'S DAUGHTER
by R.E. Rule

Ola decided to fly the same year her father quit his job to become a ventriloquist. Since she was born, ten years ago, Ola’s family had lived in an enormous Victorian house with floors that creaked and groaned...

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Read the rest of this haunting story at:
mergansermagazine.com/story/the-ventriloquists-daughter/

STATIONS IN THE MULTIVERSE
a poem by Garth Upshaw

A world exists as close as your next breath,
Where a baby’s cries are met with tired laughter and
Hushed lullaby mumbles.
Where every step glitters with magic, and
The rising sun surprises a forest
With saffron pools of delight...

Read the rest of this poem at mergansermagazine.com/story/stations-in-the-multiverse/

"The Toilet Museum" by Preetish Mohan

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“I work in a toilet museum,” he said, bracing himself for the inevitable.

He expected puns. Puns were usually what most people went for. And he hated puns.

They would say: “I think I need a little time to let that sink in..."

Or, “I guess you don’t really like to talk about work s**t on a date.”

“I’m sorry, Vinnie, but it’s just, right there, you know.”

… Read the rest at mergansermagazine.com! This story’s got a wild ending.

"Dark shapes moved overhead, talking at one another, shaking their heads disappointed. Lawrence couldn’t say how long he’d been on his back, staring at the afternoon sky..."

Want to know what the hell happened to Lawrence? Find out in "True Freshman", a short story by Travis Tyler. Link below.

mergansermagazine.com/story/true-freshman/

"THEY TRIED TO..." by Ronald Leith

They tried to drown me
But I became a fish
They tried to burn me
But I became an ember
They tried to hang me
But I became a bird...

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Read the full poem in Merganser Magazine at the link below!

mergansermagazine.com/story/they-tried-to/

We're launching 2026 with a phenomenal story by Nathan Grimmer, "Why Horror?"

Why horror? Find out.

mergansermagazine.com/story/why-horror/