Silver Pen: Bone Maiden by Zahra Linsky
The Mighty Pens are on a roll! Another of our members has hit Silver Pen, and we’re so excited to welcome her to the pack. Congratulations to Zahra! Check out her intriguing NaNoWriMo project, The Bone Maiden, below.
Bone Maiden
Knochenmenschen are monsters made of people, but when one is a way that Prinzessin Lene von Luitger can talk to her father again, it may be her only option.
Excerpt
The man’s body isn’t hanging as nicely as I would like it. I groan and hope for the best. A bucket placed beneath his head catches his blood as I cut him, ear to ear. Liquid rushes through—a cacophony of blood and bile.
Leaning forward on a stool, I cut through the skin like burlap: old, rough, and crumbling. Organs bulge under his muscles. I pick up a long knife to cut them aside, working with the rhythm of Herr Fleischer’s butcher’s shop up above. The intestines spill out and into my fingers.
The small intestine reminds me of a children’s game—cat’s cradle or Jacob’s ladder. Cutting a part out, I tie the ends together and thread it between my fingers. A game fit for a giant. I toss the organ aside, smiling at the ideas repetitive work brings me.
So happy for you, Zahra! Can’t wait to see you at the next tier 😀