“Any Rose My Mother Raised, Any Lane My Father Knows”

I grew up inside three cages, each more subtle than the last. Two my parents built in order to keep me safe; the third was of their making, but not of their will. The ores from which its bars were forged were accident, disobedience, determination, love, but the metal with which they are wrought is a malice that will never die.

Sometimes the interesting thing to do with a folkloric source is to ask what happens after it’s over. When the editor at Frivolous Comma recruited me to write a story focused on a child or teenager, this is where my thoughts immediately went: to the next generation, and what challenges might crop up for them.

The resulting story was published in August 2024, and it is free to read online!