The Toyol

Sometimes your only hope is to embrace the darkness."It's pretty much a guarantee that every issue of Black Static is going to house at least one powerhouse story, and this one is no different with the inclusion of Joel Arnold's 'The Toyol'." - Dread CentralAfter cyclone Nargis destroys Zeya's home and family in Myanmar, she accepts a job offer in Kuala Lampur. After arriving, she realizes she's been tricked, and has instead been sold to a sex trafficking ring. Bars cover her windows and cruel guards keep watch. But when she learns of a mystical creature known as a 'toyol' she wonders if it may be her ticket out of this hell on earth."This incredible Toyol vision is only for those readers both soft-hearted and hard-hearted enough to be able safely to absorb the intense pain as well as appreciate the deep wide-spread poignancy of such a storm-visit of a vision. This is a helluva work." - D.F. Lewis"It is a skin-crawling little story, well written and managing to use the alien elements to emphasize the desperation." - A Mad Man with a BlogOriginally appearing in Black Static magazine, this short story contains graphic violence and is not for the faint of heart. Joel Arnold is the author of several novels. His short stories and articles have appeared in dozens of publications, including WEIRD TALES, CHIZINE, AMERICAN ROAD MAGAZINE and Cemetery Dance's anthology SHIVERS VII. In 2010 he received both a MN Artists Initiative Grant as well as the Speculative Literature Foundation's Gulliver Travel & Research Grant.Arnold teaches writing at student workshops throughout Minnesota and has given presentations about the Ox Cart trails of Minnesota and the Dakotas to several historical societies and other groups interested in history. He also serves as the literary director for the Savage Arts Council.Arnold lives near the Twin Cities in Minnesota with his wife, two kids, two cats, a dog and a ball python. Plus he makes a mean coffee cake.Sign up for his monthly newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/Gre2f