So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction

Nominated for Lambda Literary Award for Best Anthology 2008

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“Mr. Grimm’s Fairy Tale”  – nominated for Best Short Fiction Spectrum Award, 2008

Excerpt:

            Grimm was about to review the applicant’s résumé when a scent of freshness crossed his desk. He sniffed trying to place the smell. It reminded him of lush, green forests or an early morning meadow spotted with wild flowers. Maybe laundry softener. From the corner of his eye, he saw a bluish blur glide into the seat across from his desk. He glanced over the name on the file before looking for the person.

            “Good afternoon, Miss, ah, Mary Weather.”  It was almost a question. He tried to speak with disinterest to make up for the softness in his voice. He believed it suggested authority. William lifted his head and blinked. Only a blue peak could be seen. It reminded him of an upside down ice cream cone. Slowly, he slid forward and looked over the desk’s edge.

            Mary Weather was dressed in blue—electric, bold blue to be precise. No taller than four feet, she wore a dress that billowed out around her much like a hoop skirt of the Ol’ South, but it folded nicely over her knees. She wore a French Blue conical hat, but instead of a wide brim, it had two lighter cloth ribbons that tied below her chin and kept the hat in place. Her chipmunk cheeks with red pinches gave her a kind, elderly, granny type of look. The soft wrinkles of her face added to the comfort she seemed to naturally offer. The woman’s hair was black with gray strands liberally strewn throughout.

            But it wasn’t her gentle face or the woman’s height that caught William’s attention. Neither the matronly demeanor, nor the boldness of color made his lips mold into a perfect “O” as he raised a single eyebrow. Held delicately in a feminine, almost childlike hand was a wand. Mary held it erect like a conductor’s baton ready to fly into action. Sitting atop the shaft, a bright yellow star dimly glowed. Tiny lights like snowflakes fell from the star, transforming from translucent white into blue specks before disappearing.