By: Bella Plumaj
The girl hidden beneath fox skin silently watched as the soft, yellow glow intensified below her.
When she was a child, she used to sing to summon the sun, but over time, she’d forgotten her desire for warmth, allowing the cold to offer its comfort instead. The sight caused something to catch in her throat — an old song reverberating in her bones. It called to her, and she followed.
As she drew nearer to the town, the scent of homemade bread and blueberry scones wrapped around her, and she imagined gentle, wrinkled hands kneading the dough. She could almost hear the crunch of snow as the people danced — breathless in the winter night. A small smile began to form, and she knew that she was home.
She’d longed for the familiarity of this town. Leaving the first time was hard, but she knew that it was what she had to do in order to allow herself space for self exploration and to discover who she was without the voices of strangers telling her she wasn’t being true to herself. What did they know about who she was? They knew only what she gave them, and she gave everyone something different. A too clever fox who now wanted nothing more than to be seen for who she is.