MYTH & Legend
JULY 2019
THE DOOR CALLED DEATH
KAY BEN-AVRAHAM
~
One of the gods' stories tells of a young man, a stone-mason, who sought the summer.
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THE DOOR CALLED DEATH
KAY BEN-AVRAHAM
~
One of the gods' stories tells of a young man, a stone-mason, who sought the summer.
Continue reading.
DECEMBER 2018
HUNGER
JOSEPH HEILAND
~
1.
He was born big as a mountain, with fingernails that could till crops. He stared up blindly at the moon and babbled and spat. He lifted his head and set it back down and there was broken glass in Houston, in Anchorage. His bloody mouth opened and he sobbed and half the world away a dog turned.
Continue reading.
HUNGER
JOSEPH HEILAND
~
1.
He was born big as a mountain, with fingernails that could till crops. He stared up blindly at the moon and babbled and spat. He lifted his head and set it back down and there was broken glass in Houston, in Anchorage. His bloody mouth opened and he sobbed and half the world away a dog turned.
Continue reading.
JANUARY 2018
A FAIRY TALE READ TO MY FATHER
HC HSU
~
Once upon a time, there was a handsome but cruel prince. He was a tyrant in his kingdom, and frequently amused himself with the misfortunes of his people.
It’s not he was greedy or particularly enjoyed the sounds of torment uttered from the people’s mouths. He was simply bored, and lonely.
One day he went into the forest to hunt. When he was cutting the antlers off of a hind, an elf suddenly fell out of the dead animal’s mouth. It was a wood elf. In order to repay the prince for rescuing it from being swallowed by the hind with the detritus, the elf offered to go back with the prince to keep him company.
Continue reading.
A FAIRY TALE READ TO MY FATHER
HC HSU
~
Once upon a time, there was a handsome but cruel prince. He was a tyrant in his kingdom, and frequently amused himself with the misfortunes of his people.
It’s not he was greedy or particularly enjoyed the sounds of torment uttered from the people’s mouths. He was simply bored, and lonely.
One day he went into the forest to hunt. When he was cutting the antlers off of a hind, an elf suddenly fell out of the dead animal’s mouth. It was a wood elf. In order to repay the prince for rescuing it from being swallowed by the hind with the detritus, the elf offered to go back with the prince to keep him company.
Continue reading.
DECEMBER 2017
OUTSIDER
LIANNE SIMON
~
Peadar cries when I tell her Friday will be my last day as her teacher. The little one nuzzles tight against my chest, and I stroke her white hair till her sobbing fades. When at last her pink eyes meet mine, such pain flows from them that I blink away my own tears.
“You won’t be Màiri anymore,” she says.
“No.” I shake my head and try my best to smile for her. “My name will be Tòmas. Tòm, if you like.”
“But you always call me Peadar.”
How can I explain Daoine-Sìth biology to a little one when I don’t understand the subject myself? “You’re bàn. Okay? White locks, pink eyes—on her mother’s breast she lies. You’re allowed to use either of your names.”
Continue reading.
OUTSIDER
LIANNE SIMON
~
Peadar cries when I tell her Friday will be my last day as her teacher. The little one nuzzles tight against my chest, and I stroke her white hair till her sobbing fades. When at last her pink eyes meet mine, such pain flows from them that I blink away my own tears.
“You won’t be Màiri anymore,” she says.
“No.” I shake my head and try my best to smile for her. “My name will be Tòmas. Tòm, if you like.”
“But you always call me Peadar.”
How can I explain Daoine-Sìth biology to a little one when I don’t understand the subject myself? “You’re bàn. Okay? White locks, pink eyes—on her mother’s breast she lies. You’re allowed to use either of your names.”
Continue reading.
NOVEMBER 2017
THE ELF LORD
(A triptych based on the poem “Erlkönig” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
JANE HARRINGTON
~
The Father--
It had taken twice as long as he’d expected to reach the fishing hole, so he can’t say he’s surprised by the slow pace getting home. He had thought that the pools and puddles—still there, surprisingly, from the storm—would dry up over the course of the day. The sun had been shining on the pond, after all, but penetrating the canopy of the wildwood was another thing altogether, even though the turn had arrived this week, errant gusts sending leaves whirling. A sassafras leaf skids across the horn of the saddle, in front of the father and son. The boy, laughing, grabs it and sets it over his hand like a red mitt, then fills his strong little lungs with air and blows it off like the wind.
Continue reading.
THE ELF LORD
(A triptych based on the poem “Erlkönig” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
JANE HARRINGTON
~
The Father--
It had taken twice as long as he’d expected to reach the fishing hole, so he can’t say he’s surprised by the slow pace getting home. He had thought that the pools and puddles—still there, surprisingly, from the storm—would dry up over the course of the day. The sun had been shining on the pond, after all, but penetrating the canopy of the wildwood was another thing altogether, even though the turn had arrived this week, errant gusts sending leaves whirling. A sassafras leaf skids across the horn of the saddle, in front of the father and son. The boy, laughing, grabs it and sets it over his hand like a red mitt, then fills his strong little lungs with air and blows it off like the wind.
Continue reading.