"Witches don't have children. Their bodies, creased and spidery, are not built for them. Children would distract and soften, steal attention from the spells at hand."
–"Toothed" is wonderful new short story by Leni Zumas about a modern day witch who drives a truck. It has a surprise ending!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
19
I don't get itttt! What bit Gregory? Why does Luminy die at the end? Nothing makes sense.
@wealhtheow I think I'm going to have to read it 5 more times.
@wealhtheow I love how much I don't get. I love Southern Gothic stuff. Also slightly obsessed with this guy
MELIS DOES NOT LOVE THAT WHICH IS PURPOSELY OBFUSCATING
MELIS SMASH
@wealhtheow I'm glad it's not just me. I think obdurately obfuscating is the phrase for this.
@melis Great minds, Melis? Or Hulk-like minds, maybe?
@wealhtheow Jessica and her husband's rabid dog bit Gregory. Luminy isn't so much a witch as a folk doctor. I don't know for sure if this is what's driving her actions at the end, but there's a folk magic belief that killing the rabid animal that bit you will cure your rabies.
@feartie wait what i don't get that either what the hellll
@shhhhk But isn't it great? Life in reality is unknowable, so the writer mimics this in elements of weird metaphor.
@Emby Wait, but it doesn't sound like Luminy and the witch are the same person--especially with the line "She is the daughter of a mother who has no daughter." So isn't she the daughter of the witch?
It also doesn't seem to imply that the dog is rabid, so much as poisoning itself....
@CurlsMcGirlypants In my head, Gregory is the witch's daughter, but he's trapped in a man's body. And Luminy is a nice old folk doctor that he kind of wants to be, and so her treating him is like the rabid dog biting him, and so he has to kill her to cure the "disease" he feels like is killing his mind the way she kills the rabid dog.
@packedsuitcase Correction - got my pronouns wrong and it won't let me fix it. Gregory is the witch's daughter, but *she's* treapped in a man's body.
That was pretty wonderful!
==luminy is the werewolfy/thingy/daughterthing of the witch, and SHE bit gregory - which is why the witch knows who bit gregory - and also luminy killed the dog.==
love this story - beautiful, really imaginative
@meenakshi This is what I got too.
I kept imagining this whole story as if it was written by Nice Pete from Achewood though.
LENI ZUMAS WAS MY CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER IN FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE!!! AHHH!!!! She never sent me back my final copy of my story but THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE SHE WAS BUSY BEING A REAL WRITER!!! So. Exciting.
Happy it wasn't just me who didn't get it, but also I have a bad cold, and right now my comprehension level feels pretttttty looooow.
Loved it! Great way to let my mind wander and start the morning! :D
Here we are popping my comment cherry.
Hooray for Leni Zumas!
Farewell Navigator broke my heart in all of the right places.