THE FOUNTAIN OF RUTH By Karin Patton
Granny grew a tooth. And then she grew another.
Age spots shrank to freckles. Pimples punctuated her chin the same way they still cluster on mine. Hair that was pure white for as long as I could remember now sprouted red at the roots.
"Are you wearing mascara?" I asked, unable to recall Gran having lashes.
She shook her head no. Looked impish.
She smiled. Her two new teeth-one upper, one lower-looked every bit as adorable on this corrugated 90-year-old as in the gummy smile of an infant.
She motioned me closer.
"I found the fountain," she whispered.
She glanced around, then held up the gold and black can of Rockstar.
"Where on earth did you get..."
Then I remembered the case I put in the cart for myself a few shopping trips back. I must have forgotten to remove it when I brought her groceries by, as I do every Wednesday.
I reached for the can. She snatched it away, her movements were graceful, without a trace of the trembles that so recently plagued her.
"How can you be sure?" I asked.
She smiled.
Those teeth were so damn adorable.
"I can feel it." She splayed her hands across her chest. It might have looked as though she was feeling her own breasts had I not known that for the past few decades, those pendulums hung closer to her crotch than from where they first sprouted.
Are her boobs changing, too? I tried to look but couldn't quite tell. Despite the stifling heat, Gran wore her favorite sweater that featured a giant cannabis leaf, which she liked to insist was okra, not pot. I suspected she knew better. That she wore it to rile.
"That stuff is loaded with caffeine," I said. "Probably a dangerous amount for someone your age. It causes your heart to race, which might be making you feel younger, but..."
"I know," she said. "I know."
Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2024 de Writer’s Digest.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2024 de Writer’s Digest.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Avoiding the Dreaded Info Dump
Pouring too many details into a few pages is both the sign of an immature writer and an unfocused story.
FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
How comic Gary Gulman effectively blends humor into his story of overcoming major depression.
Stephen Graham Jones
They say you should never meet your heroes. But speaking with Stephen Graham Jones is a lot like speaking with your local theater nerd about the history of Broadway, except with a lot more goosebumps and nightmares.
Failure Is the Foundation
I can recall exactly where I was when I came up with the idea for my adult fantasy series, Emily Wilde.
Fiction Is the Lie That Tells the Truth Truer
On the Legacy of Tom Spanbauer
What Is Your Story Question?
Revision and editing advice to take your first draft to the next level.
Writing for the People We Hope to Become
Elisa Stone Leahy's new middle-grade novel, Mallory in Full Color, tackles the in-between moments of adolescence, when who we are and who we want to become collide.
Creating Community
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
Pat Barker
The Booker Prize-winning author of Regeneration shares the role characters play in developing novel ideas and explains what appeals to her about reimagining mythology.
How to Write in Different Genres
Emiko Jean and Yulin Kuang share tips and strategies for how they successfully write in different genres and mediums.
