Sublime

the way memories of a lost loved one always smooth and simplify themselves, shedding complexities like scales.

The night pulsed around them, and Sylvie was grateful to be crushed against her sister.

She needed someone who might quiet the shrieking wean, who might help her resurface after she was hit with the waves of her grief.

rain.”

It had all been arranged by advert and telephone: the Fredrikson family were offering a holiday home to a child for the summer out of the goodness of their hearts, and for a small fee, of course. Axel and Hanna had discussed it thoroughly – all the big-city children in need of fresh air, woods, water, and good food. They had said all the things peo

Sylvie said, “I’m right here,” but her mother gave no indication of having heard her, and Sylvie wondered if maybe she wasn’t right here. Her certainty wavered, and with it her sense of self. Sylvie had the sensation of fading away in her black dress and tights. Under Charlie’s gaze, Sylvie had been whole; now, in front of her mother, she was porou