“Fogs in the hollow”

Fiction writer Benjamin Murray brings us Heidi, abandoned by her husband, searching for meaning in canyons.

“Fogs in the hollow used to depress her, but now she deliberately looked into them. Did she imagine or see spirits performing zany leaps into momentary appearances through the mists? Fog confused distinctions of form and movement, played tricks on the eyes. Some Indians had believed in a spirit called The Trickster, but good science demanded proof. O. K. No husband or schedule could now divert her testing a hypothesis. If it ended in old-age lunacy, so be it.”

From “Polecat,” in the 2021 issue of Deep Wild Journal, forthcoming this June. To order or subscribe, visit https://deepwildjournal.com/subscribe