Dread Confluence is a chilling collection of tales — from the uncanny to the downright ghoulish — based in and around the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.*
The first tale begins in 1873, in the town of Economy, where the unsuspecting Paul Gaffey taps into the underground river for a community well…also tapping into something more ominous. (Novelette)
In 1926, a downtown architectural and engineering firm comprised of radical young upstarts wins a bid and builds the new Point Bridge across the Monongahela River-one more accessible to the business district, teeming with vampires. (Novelette)
In 1956, a boy makes sense of the mystery of a downed B-25, which crashed into the Monongahela River the year before, never to be seen again. (Short story)
In 1987, in the depressed town of Braddock, a steel worker anticipating a lay-off inadvertently seals the fate of both himself and his family through his dreams. (Short story)
In 1996, a corporate CFO with a working-class background gets a disturbing, and wholly unexpected, message from his recently-deceased steelworker father. (Short story)
And on the North Side in July of 2010, a cynically nostalgic beer vendor working PNC Park watches as the Pirates lose, yet again. But that is nothing compared to the chaos that ensues when, unbeknownst to the teams, they unwittingly enact a series of plays that raises the past of Pittsburgh, quite literally. (Short story)
Dread Confluence retains historical accuracy in place and event (creating a new, numinous narrative for the city) it also utilizes that very landscape to take an already dark city chronicle and make it darker, more sinister.
*One doesn’t need to be from Pittsburgh, PA to enjoy these stories.
Author’s Note: This is basically my writing thesis from grad school. While readers might enjoy the introduction, I’ve included it here mainly for the benefit of writers, who may enjoy this sort of insight into the work they are reading.
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Dark Foul Light: In April of 1941, Geoffrey is a Liverpool painter still healing from wounds incurred from a recent German bombing raid, and haunted by the memory of one of the many who didn’t survive. Since then, the colors he uses seem dull and lifeless. In an effort to reclaim his former artistic drive, he takes a job refurbishing the ceiling mural of St. Luke’s Cathedral. But something is with him, always, and, high upon the scaffolding, he unwittingly straddles the veil between the living and the dead.
This story is based on the song “Heartwork” by Carcass. Fun Tip: Take a moment to give the lyrics a quick read before dipping into this 5700-word story.
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Lee Harper Oswald 