Captivated
By J. M. Bédard
The island was inverted. A cupped hand, rather than a fist, open to the sky. It juddered and wove, winking through pink clouds heavy with eyes. They blinked. All manner of sizes and shapes clinging together and borne aloft. Some of the smaller ones streamed, overcome by the sharp air, the stinging salt. And below this gaze, a knot of people in the palm. Hard and tangled. Skins sliding and grafting over one another with time, exploring fresh bones. Crawling and mewling. Melting, merging. Their exposed edges glistened, rose-gilded, and the pit ran with sweat. A furtive lick, delighted shiver.
J. M. Bédard (she/her) spends long runs getting lost in other worlds and writes to find her way out. Human, Too, her collection of dark, surreal short stories and poetry, was published by Dim Shores in April 2021.