Caging the Thing by Beth Thomas There is a thing on the floor in the corner of the cabin. It walks lazy circles and sometimes pops up in the air a few inches. The boys come back from their campfire supper and they surround the thing and capture it beneath a clear plastic cup and then take turns peering into its bulbous face. They tap the cup to get the thing’s attention. It hops and they cock their heads like attentive dogs. It turns its multi-faceted eyes in all directions and takes them in. The thing dishevels its wings and they catch the light and flash green-gray like aliens. The children squeal and the thing’s armored body shakes. It strolls a slow circle, then curls up in the middle of its space and goes to sleep. The boys go outside and throw rocks at a bat folded up under the eaves, hoping the bat will wake and want to hunt the thing. The bat unfurls then flies away and they chase it for a while. They follow the stream back to camp, then sit and tell ghost stories in the dark. Tomorrow they will let the thing loose on the mountain. Tomorrow they will chase it off into the grass. Tomorrow they will wake and find that the thing has gone still. All content in SmokeLong Quarterly copyright 2003-2008 by its authors.
	Beth Thomas is originally from New Mexico but currently lives in California due to military relocation. She works as a technical writer in the aerospace/defense industry—don't ask what she writes about 'cause she can't really tell you. She has a BA and an MA in writerly things from New Mexico universities. Her work has recently appeared in Pindeldyboz Online, SmokeLong Quarterly, Juked, Word Riot, and other places. Read the interview.
	Issue Eighteen (September 15, 2007): When the Toasts Stopped Being Funny by Steve Almond «» Nailed by Robert J. Bradley «» Raymond Carver by Dan Chaon «» The Sound of Success by Terry DeHart «» Ethnic Lego Girls Carry Spears by Heidi W. Durrow «» Mole Man by Stuart Dybek «» Party by Emily Fridlund «» From Halliville To Grice's Town by Jason Jackson «» Starfish by Jeff Landon «» Insomnia of an Elderly French Designer by Sean Lovelace «» Display by Davin Malasarn «» Little Bones by Kuzhali Manickavel «» Stigmata by Susan O'Neill «» Inroads by Dominic Preziosi «» Bachon by Teri Davis Rouvelas «» Voc Rehab Vignettes by Jessica Schantz «» Neighbors by Curtis Smith «» Caging the Thing by Beth Thomas «» Interviews: Steve Almond «» Robert J. Bradley «» Randall Brown «» Dan Chaon «» Terry DeHart «» Heidi W. Durrow «» Stuart Dybek «» Emily Fridlund «» Jason Jackson «» Jeff Landon «» Sean Lovelace «» Davin Malasarn «» Kuzhali Manickavel «» Mary Miller «» Susan O'Neill «» Dominic Preziosi «» Teri Davis Rouvelas «» Jessica Schantz «» Curtis Smith «» Beth Thomas «» Cover Art "Repression of an Open Mind" by Marty D. Ison «» Letter From the Editor