The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 3

by Beth Brower

“Any last words before my impending doom?” I asked Young Hawkes. “Would you like your final rites?” Ominous. “If you’ve a blessing for me, Hawkes,” I said, picking up the glass, “now is the time.” He sighed. “Miss Lion, I bless you to slay the dragon.” “Amen,”

And I, Emma M. Lion, the girl who once rallied an entire dormitory of boys at Stoicism, A Preparatory School for Boys to storm the kitchens and steal the mince pies set aside for their instructors, felt tired…and like I might have need of a good cry.

“We cannot always predict the outcomes of our actions, Miss Lion, however well intended.” I stood. “What else is life but a string of outcomes beyond our control?”

“It’s messier than we ever imagined it to be as children,” he said. “What?” “Life.”