RICHARD WIRICK is the author of the mixed-genre collection One Hundred Siberian Postcards (Telegram Books, 2006), a London Times Notable Book of 2007 and a nominee for the PEN/Bingham Award for Best First Work by an American Author. It was followed by Kicking In (Counterpoint, 2010), a collection of stories. His novel The Devil’s Water was just published by Ekstasis (Canada) and Counterpoint (US). Another story collection, Fables of Rescue, and the essay collection Hat of Candles, will see publication in 2017. He is a senior and founding editor at the quarterly Transformation and writes for a variety of periodicals in the U.S. and U.K. He practices environmental law in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family. He wishes to dedicate this story to Kirk Luther.