A former professional wrestler who appeared on national TV shows, Matt was included in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine's Top 500 wrestlers for 1996 as his alter ego, The Prince of Polyester. He completed his MFA at Seton Hill University, which is also where he met his wife, Natalie. His short fiction has been published in a number of venues, including Chizine, The Ultimate Unknown, Dark Krypt and Eye Contact.

matt duvall

A Creepy Christmas

"Look here," Jim said to his Christmas tree, "this year I'd like to get the perfect wife."

Noticing the look on his Christmas tree's face, he rushed on before she could object.

"I know we tried last year, and she was a pretty good wife -- at least at first. But she dried up like all the others, and the mess she left when I dragged her out to the trash on New Year's..." He shook his head. "All I'm saying is, this year we'll do it right. Find one just a little too big for the space, smells heavenly, evenly proportioned -- maybe even one with a nice big root ball on her, so we can plant her in the back yard and enjoy her all year."

Jim smiled and rubbed his Christmas tree's back. "Yeah, that sounds real nice. This year's gonna be our year. I can just feel it."

END