Elsewhere

by Alexis Schaitkin

We were supposed to keep the points of our pins clean, held fast in our braids, until we were grown and ready to prick a man’s skin.

At this moment, I assumed there would be some kind of explanation for this universal sex ritual, later in the book. It didn’t ever feel explained, at least to my understanding. What meaning can be pulled from this? Maybe just a parallel to the purity rings some young girls are given?