***Mark Martin**'s* *fiction has appeared in* The Manchester Review, Missouri Review, Dark Mountain, Stand, Plenitudes, *and* Storgy, *and is forthcoming in the* Dalhousie Review. *Mark was the overall winner in the* Fish Short Story Contest 2021, *judged by Emily Ruskovich. The managing editor of* [Verso Books](https://www.versobooks.com/), *he lives in Brooklyn but grew up in the UK.*