Abstract
In the gaslit, cobblestone town of Vole, master craftsman Calhoun Vesper navigates a precarious existence under the thumb of an aristocratic monstrous elite. His quiet life of meticulously crafting caskets is shattered when a revolutionary flyer appears on his door. This flyer signals an underground movement growing that is dangerous for everyone involved. Two of Calhoun's monstrous clients visit the same night the flyer appears, underscoring the oppressive reality of his world. A world where humans are treated as mere resources. However, when a personal tragedy strikes, forcing Calhoun to confront the brutal indifference of his overlords, his grief transforms. A burning desire for retribution pushes the Casket Maker toward the very revolution he once feared.
Bio
Robert Burke is an Avionics Technician in the United States Navy. While computers and aircraft have a tantalizing appeal, Robert has always felt a desperate need to create. This compulsion has manifested itself in a love of storytelling. He took a creative writing class to push himself forward creatively after stalling for one year to many. With a macabre sense of humor and a penchant for long winded monologuing, Robert uses multiple genres to explore and understand the world around him. It's a blessing that his wife finds him almost as funny as he thinks he is.
Recommended Citation
Burke, Robert
(2026)
"The Casket Maker,"
Night Flight: Online Literary Journal: Vol. 7
, Article 7.
Available at:
https://commons.erau.edu/night-flight/vol7/iss1/7