Stone Soup Magazine
— A girl recalls being praised as 'a little angel' throughout childhood, while her mother's poetry quotation hints at the impermanence of such perfection.
— Beverly Henderson, orphaned in 1950s Idaho, befriends a raccoon named Bandit who later betrays her, causing an explosion that kills her father and leaves her in a 13-year coma.
— Time's passage traced through family moments — a brother's kite, grandfather's lined face, babies' bright eyes — questioning permanence while accepting change's necessity.
— Fear is a bubble. It can fold up or pop. It can surround you like a swarm or keep you behind an elastic wall. You choose whether to stay in...
— A girl waits alone in the rain when her mother doesn't meet her at the bus stop, remembering past loneliness and finding comfort when her siblings arrive.