by Ian Johnston
First published 2021
Dr. Mueller receives an urgent call to treat a patient in a remote village. His horse has died, leaving him stranded until mysterious steeds appear with an eerie groom. The journey through winter darkness becomes surreal as time bends and reality shifts. At his destination, Mueller discovers a young man with a strange wound that defies medical explanation. The villagers expect miracles he cannot deliver. His medical bag feels inadequate against forces beyond science. The doctor finds himself trapped between his professional duties and circumstances that mock human logic. As the night progresses, Mueller confronts the limits of his knowledge and the weight of others' desperate faith in his abilities. This brief but intense encounter strips away his certainties about medicine, duty, and his place in a world that operates by rules he cannot comprehend.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, fantasy, horror, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, limits-of-knowledge, man-vs-nature
Setting: Remote Village, Winter Landscape
Period: 19th Century
24 pages · Paperback · Independently published
Content warnings: medical-trauma