Queer Windows by Cay Fletcher

Author:Cay Fletcher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cay Fletcher
Published: 2022-05-03T00:00:00+00:00

LADY OF SPRING

VINQ

Stalks of tall grass rippled under Vinq’s fingertips as she walked through the field below her village. In the late summer and fall she’d make sure to shake seeds from their pods, and the dried husks of flowers as she walked so that the meadow would return even more beautifully the next spring. The sun hadn’t fully woken up yet, but the birds singing to each other always acted as her wake-up call. She took a deep breath of the sweet, frosty, morning air, savoring the smell of the inevitable rain showers.

Mornings, before the sun spread across the valley, were her favorite times. She could wander the meadow alone, ensuring the flowers unfurled their petals. Or go down to the stream to tickle the tadpoles and find polished stones to add to her collection in the garden.

Reaching the top of one of the hills, she laid down, letting the dew droplets sprinkle down over her face. The last stars twinkled as they slowly faded from view and the wind rushed over the hilltop, making it sing. She feared that this might be the last morning like it. Her last morning completely free of responsibilities, expectations, and a future she wasn’t certain of.

“Mother, what if I don’t want to go through with the ceremony?” she whispered, letting the wind carry her words away on the breeze.

Sometimes there was an answer, but as she laid there, feeling the chilly earth underneath her, Vinq couldn’t hear any response. If her mother had been there, maybe she would have been able to offer some guidance. But as it stood, Vinq only had her older siblings, who were only occasionally useful in the advice department. Sometimes she felt they misunderstood her on purpose.

Picking a few blades of grass, Vinq began plaiting them together. Every so often she wove a wildflower into the green band. Ilo hated such crafty little trinkets, which had always seemed at odds with her position as a priestess. Most of the priestesses loved nature and often incorporated plants into ceremonies, but Ilo’s skin broke out in hives whenever she touched anything green.

Quin, on the other hand, was always asking Vinq to bring armfuls of wildflowers back from her days wandering the meadows. He loved showcasing the bright colors in his art, using them for dyes, or drying and grinding them to dust for paint. Everyone in the village assumed that they got along well, but they were always at odds. Quin was far more disciplined than Vinq ever could be and her messes and general lack of care about her appearance drove him crazy.

Instead, it was their eldest sibling, Hind, that Vinq got along with best. He was easygoing and didn’t force her to come inside when it rained. Or admonished her when she wanted to play with the fireflies on warm summer evenings. He’d sneak her sweet treats and even let her keep the lizard she’d found when she was younger as a pet.

She wouldn’t have time for most of that when she was assigned her position within the village though.

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