The sea saw her one night as he shifted and played with the sand along the shore. He caught her reflection in the water, swimming back toward the light that reached even the deepest, darkest places. Watching the glow, he wondered if he could touch it—but every time he
The wind moved the flowers in the field outside the window. On the distant hills, tall grass swayed like waves in the sea. A small log cabin sat tucked into the forest, warm and cozy inside. She rested at the kitchen counter, drinking tea, quietly watching the world through the
The house was empty. The sound of keys unlocking the front door echoed through the vacant rooms. Plastic sheets draped over the furniture shifted in the draft from a barely open window. Everything was packed away in boxes. There was no light—except for a single candle burning in the
The dark room was briefly illuminated by the flame of a lighter. After the metallic click, smoke escaped his mouth, and the room fell back into darkness. A man lay on a couch at the center of the room. He stepped closer and lit two candles on the table beside
A small lotus flower opened in her hand. The forest was dark, but there—cupped between her palms—the flower shone with pure light. She held it delicately as it glowed brighter and brighter, unfolding petal by petal. When the flower had fully bloomed, she began tracing runes onto the
The shadow opened a zipper in the center of its chest. With one hand caked in dark mud, it pulled out a still-beating mass and placed it on the table. It consulted a couple of books to confirm the markings, then began lighting candles along the edges of the table.
She rollerbladed across the night sky, weaving between nearby planets and stars. Her speed left a glowing trail behind her, and as she moved, she collected wishes thrown up from the Earth. She watched them rise, slowing as they reached space. Without stopping, she caught them mid-flight and stuffed them
She called again—angrier this time. It still didn’t work. He stopped reacting to the posts and songs, even as she watched and tried. His face didn’t change. No expression, no response. The Husbandtestomatic 3000 was known for having issues after month six of testing. She waited on
She held a star in her hands. Carefully, she cracked it open and poured its light into a jar. With one hand gloved, she caught the wish as it emerged from the star and began to plant it. She pressed it into black soil inside an old orange planter. From
She decided to use voodoo magic. A handmade doll bore the face from the photograph she kept on her nightstand. She was playing with things she didn’t understand. There was a price—for every prick and pinch, the tab was already running. Dark magic keeps score, and its debts
A candle and a book rested on a dimly lit round table. She sat beside it, watching the last light of day slide across the floor, its lines growing sharper as evening fell. When the light finally left the room, the candle ignited on its own. The space was quiet,
Someone recognized her and walked up to the table where she sat drinking tea. She smiled for the picture, then returned to the conversation. The streetlights flickered on, and night, like a curtain, began to rise into the sky. The stars—almost carefully placed by hand—appeared one by one.