Carnival Row Contest Short Story - Thaumaturgy101

Carnival Row Contest Entry

"The world can be a dangerous place" I recall my mother telling me as she combed through my hair. I looked up at her with wide eyes, eyes that hadn't yet seen the horrors I was to see as a woman, but instead brimming with a zest for life found in no other eyes than that of a young child. "What do you mean, mummy?"

She delicately placed down the ornate brush on the chipping vanity and slid a strand of hair behind my ear, exposing their pointed tips. "Because some people hate what they don't understand. They terrorize and patronize us solely because of the horns on our head or the wings on our back, some people-" she caught a glimpse of her somber expression and sighed, quickly covering it up with a false smile. "Because you and I are special. We have something the humans only wish they did".

It wasn't until my nineteenth birthday that this seemingly trivial memory reappeared in my mind as I sat on the roof of the love of my life's manor; the mortal love of my life. As I pondered over what my mother had told me, I froze as anxious thoughts overencumbered my mind. Fellow creatures would call me a traitor if they knew I'd fallen in love with a human, and if humans found out...oh god.

Will grabbed my hand and softly pressed his lips against it, as he did so I felt a rushing wave of solace overcome my aching mind. I slumped even more on his shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek as we overlooked the town's amber street lights and listened to the soft clicks and clacks of shoes along the cobblestone roads.

Mother was right, love is dangerous for a girl like me. But the gift of love, fierce and passionate, would be worth every punishment imaginable.