Ingredients:
A kelp mat to keep the words
from sticking, like an apology
swallowed back
again
and again
Seaweed, dried
Meat from the last creature
whose warning came too late—
crab will do
Sea cucumber, thinly sliced
Preparation:
First, unsleeve her voice
from her urchin throat.
Next, take a delicate sheet
of seaweed and press
gently along the seam
until it breaks.
Work her voice over
the surface of the seaweed
unwrinkling bubbles, those ridges
of complaining sound
you’ll never have to hear again.
Take the meat, the cucumber
lay them together
across the middle
sealing them inside
the increasing quiet.
Finally, lift the edge of the mat
away from you, rolling the voice
into its tasteless new shape.
Chef’s Note:
Tell her none of this to start.
Tell her silence
is the safer path.
If she weeps after, lie.
Say this is what you wanted,
this is what you asked for.
Repeat until her tears dry
to toasted seeds
on her cheeks.
Serves one.
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Hayley Stone is an award-winning author, narrative designer, and poet best known for her weird western, Make Me No Grave, and the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, Last Resistance. Her short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, and more. Hayley loves connecting with readers at her website: hayleystone.com. |
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