Welcome to this week’s installment of many micro stories, ranging in length from 100 words to 500 words.
With each story we hope to deliver a little whimsy into the lives of our readers.
AFTER THE APPLE
Apple blossoms flutter to the earth around her, and she spins, letting them settle on her dark hair like flakes of sugar, or cocoanut, or snow.
Her mind stirs, perplexed—is she dead? Maybe. She can’t quite remember.
She recalls her teeth sinking into the red, red skin of the apple. Poisoned, of course, the vengeful queen deploying another plot to kill her, but the sharp tang of the antidote she sipped this morning still coats the back of her mouth, mingling with the apple’s sweetness, and she longs to believe that she will live—
She gasps in a mouthful of apple blossoms and chokes on their splendor and sucks in a terrible, terrible breath of air.
Nico Martinez Nocito is a dedicated writer who focuses on fantasy and LGBTQ + novels. They spend their free time running, looking after their small flock of chickens, and acting in local theater productions. Find them in the upcoming anthology Grimm Retold and on Instagram @nicowritesbooks.
www.instagram.com/nicowritesbooks
If you enjoyed this drabble you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash 2023 anthology.
Iron Faerie Publishing 