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.
ALWAYS NUMB
I walk the shoreline daily, sandaled-toes sinking in the sand, sea salt spraying my face and the wind twirling my hair.
It’s cold today, and drizzling, but that’s okay. I’m always numb.
While walking, I see a small animal trapped in some washed up seaweed, As I approach, I see a tail flap against the ground, then a little flipper sticks up. A baby seal? I remove the seaweed to free it—the creature looks back at me with a human face. A child of another world.
I wrap it in my shawl and head home. At last, I feel love.
Kelly Matsuura is an avid short story writer, with a focus on fantasy, horror, and literary fiction.
She is the Creator of Insignia Stories (Asian fantasy anthologies) and has had stories published with Black Hare Press, 100-Foot Crow, Iron Faerie Publishing, Wolfsinger Press, Metastellar, and many more.
Kelly lives in Nagoya, Japan with her geeky husband. She loves traveling, knitting, cooking, and of course, reading.
If you enjoyed this story you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash 2023 anthology.
Iron Faerie Publishing 