Be My Horse, Ride the Cowboy
Uncanny #68, January/February 2026
This is a vibrant, queer urban fantasy noir set in California’s Antelope Valley, narrated by Davion, a Black man living with his partner Tommy, a white man from Nebraska. The story opens with Davion heading to Cactus Candace’s, a drag bar in Palmdale, where he meets Drew, an attractive redbone man who rides the mechanical bull with impressive skill.
After flirting and kissing, they drive to a secluded spot near the poppy reserve for a sexual encounter in Davion’s truck bed. However, the night takes a dark turn when Drew reveals he knows Davion’s real name and has supernatural powers—specifically, a sentient shadow that can control people. Drew is a government contractor for the Arbitration Service of America (ASA), hunting rogue magicians. He came to kill Davion and Tommy, who are wanted for killing ASA agents and destroying magical technology over twenty years ago before disappearing.
Drew explains that he and his mysterious partner have decided not to kill them. His partner—who turns out to be a powerful supernatural entity—confirmed that Davion and Tommy themselves have no magical abilities; rather, magic happens around them without emanating from them. Their late neighbor, Miz Boudreaux, had made a bargain with Death itself on their behalf. Drew offers a deal: perform one small task, and he’ll mark their files as terminated, freeing them from being hunted.
The task involves attending Sister Angelica Worth’s church in Lancaster. She’s a faith healer who uses real magic, not faith, and has been siphoning years of life from her parishioners. Davion and Tommy must place two special coins—a Susan B. Anthony dollar and a Sacagawea dollar—into her collection basket. These coins act as keys to unlock protections she’s erected against Drew’s partner.
At the church service, Davion drops his coin first, but Sister Angelica immediately senses something wrong and uses her magic to compel both men to confess their sins. She forces Tommy toward a foul-smelling wading pool to “cleanse” him, but Tommy manages to push her in instead. When Sister Angelica attacks with magic, Drew’s partner—revealed to be Baron Saturday, a loa-like death entity—possesses Davion, speaking through him with the voice of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
Baron Saturday confronts Sister Angelica, who had bound him from her church using blood, stone, and ancient names. Through Davion’s body, he reclaims all the stolen years she had taken from her congregation—hundreds of years of stolen life. Within seconds, she ages rapidly and crumbles to dust.
The story ends with Davion helping Tommy up, both men exhausted and declaring themselves “through with weird shit,” as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ laughter echoes over the church loudspeakers. The narrative combines LGBTQ+ themes, African diaspora spirituality, dark humor, and a distinctive vernacular voice to create a memorable supernatural thriller.