Bloom

by Delilah S. Dawson

The modern world is severely lacking in magic, and those who crave it are at a constant disadvantage because they are desperate and it’s in short supply.

Some places—amusement parks, country fairs, museums, old bookstores—can temporarily fill the void, but there will always be people who check every armoire for a door to Narnia, every rabbit hole for a road to Wonderland.

This is still her; a version of her. There are many, she tells herself; she can try them on as needed.

But then again, some mothers push and some mothers pull,

People are difficult—they don’t always tell the truth, much less know the truth—but books are honest.”

Why hide weird, she has always assumed, since it’s going to come out sooner or later?

It’s almost comical, how at her most traumatic and needful moment, a woman still does not have pockets.