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."
This story is from the September - October 2024 edition of Writer’s Digest.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September - October 2024 edition of Writer’s Digest.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Writing for a Warming World - Imagining the overwhelming, the ubiquitous, the world-shattering.
Climate change is one of those topics that can throw novelists—and everyone else—into a fearful and cowering silence. When the earth is losing its familiar shapes and consolations, changing drastically and in unpredictable ways beneath our feet, how can we summon our creative resources to engage in the imaginative world-building required to write a novel that takes on these threats in compelling ways? And how to avoid writing fiction that addresses irreversible climate change without letting our prose get too preachy, overly prescriptive, saturated with despair?
Kids' Author Meg Medina Inspires Readers
WD chats with the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
The Horrors of Grief
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
The Mystery of Growing Up
New York Times-bestselling author Jasmine Warga tackles a new genre with her signature blend of empathy for her readers, agency for her characters, and the belief that art is the great connector.
Education
Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.
A Do-Over Romance
Karin Patton, the first-place winner of the 24th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards, shares a funny story about secondchance love and a brief Q&A.
Everyday Wonder
How to mine awe from the mundane
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Unveil the hidden beauty in the facts and transform your nonfiction with the power of wonder.
Childhood: Our Touchstone for Wonder
How to get in touch with Little You and create big new work for today.
Agent Roundup
22 agents share details, about what kind of writing will pique their interest and offer tips for querying writers...
