Every story is an open vein
New publication alert!
“His Soul Lives in the Air”, published in MetaStellar
Racing to see her dying grandmother, Rebecca confronts her fear of flying only to discover that some passengers carry more than just luggage from the past.
I originally wrote this flash fiction for the Writing Battle: Heart competition. It took an Honorable Mention, which was great, but I was even more pleased to find that MetaStellar wanted to publish it.
Oh, and also I was terrified for anyone I know to see it. Oops.
I wrote this story in the last few hours before the contest entry was due (and edited later, before publication!), and so I had to pull more from my own personal experience than usual. Minimizing research means more time to write. And wow, did my subconscious deliver.
This story is about:
A young woman originally from North Carolina, but who lives in Seattle now (much like me)
with flight anxiety (like a close family member of mine)
flying home to visit her dying Grandmother. (like I did last December)
She must overcome guilt (much like me)
for not having visited her Grandfather before he died. (my grandfather is living, but…)
My personal anxieties came forth, despite my best efforts to transmute them into a different person—the main character, Rebecca. I had no time for world-building, so I had to pick familiar ground, both literally in terms of the world, and emotionally.
I am always feeling guilty for not visiting home enough. A cross-country plane ride is so much, and rural North Carolina is not the most welcoming place to someone visibility gender non-conforming or queer like myself. I’m not scared of being on planes, but I’m often scared of what lies on the other side.
If you know how to write something moving without bleeding yourself, without having to let people see you in pain… Well don’t tell me, because then I suppose I’d have to pay for therapy instead.
In the end of this story, Rebecca overcomes her flight anxiety to visit a loved one, and is rewarded by…
Well, you’ll have to read it to find out!
