The Ruthless Red Pen

by Randall Andrews

In the south of Australia, an editor sits at his desk wielding a magical red pen. The story before him morphs with his every deft touch, the words shifting and shuffling on the page.

After an hour, he flips to the last page of the manuscript, tweaking the author’s bio ever so slightly before moving on to the headshot. With confident strokes, he goes to work, removing an ugly skin blemish, straightening an awkwardly crooked nose, trimming away a little extra flesh from the cheeks.

***

In the northern United States, an author screams in agony as the edits take effect.

Randall Andrews

Randall Andrews is the author of two books, Finding Hour Way and The Last Guardian of Magic, which won the National Indie Excellence Award. His shorter works have appeared in places like Abyss & Apex, Space & Time, Mystery Tribune, and Sci-Fi Shorts. You can find his books at online retailers.