A retired sailor’s fond memories of a ship’s cat take on a chilling afterlife.

In “Polydactyl Aboard,” a retired sailor recalls his years at sea and the extraordinary ship’s cat whose talents went far beyond catching rats. The bond between sailor and animal becomes something deeper after death. 

Set against the rhythms of life aboard ship, the story explores loyalty, instinct, and the quiet persistence of the past.

Thomas Koperwas is a retired teacher living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada who writes short stories of horror, crime, fantasy, and science fiction. His story Vacation won a Freedom Fiction Journal Top Crime Editor's Choice Award 2024. His work has appeared, or is forthcoming in: Anotherealm; Jakob’s Horror Box; Literally Stories; The Literary Hatchet; Literary Veganism; Bright Flash Literary Review; Bombfire; Pulp Modern Flash; Savage Planets; Dark Fire Fiction; The Sirens Call; Yellow Mama Webzine; 96th of October; Underside Stories; Danse Macabre; A Thin Slice Of Anxiety; Androids and Dragons; Chewers & Masticadores Canada; The Piker Press; etc..

You can read "Polydactyl Aboard" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.

The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.

New episodes every Wednesday.

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