A Moon Witch on the Seashore
Devan Barlow

I gather my moon’s precious chill
let it soak into my skin, my lungs
before descending to Endalven’s surface

I slip into the ocean
break my moon’s reflection
let its coolness flow out of me
like breath, like tears, like blood
a balm for desolate coral—coral desperate
for cold, for color, for consolation, until
I am spent and return to the sand
illuminated by Endalven’s moons

far above my own is bright
and when its light on this shore wanes
the next witch shall take my place
to cool these waters…

Devan Barlow (she/her)’s fiction has appeared in the anthologies Bioluminescent, Upon a Thrice Time and 99 Tiny Terrors, as well as in Kaleidotrope, Diabolical Plots, Lackington’s, Abyss & Apex, Truancy, and Daily Science Fiction. Her fantasy novel An Uncommon Curse, a story of fairy tales and musical theatre, is forthcoming. When not writing she reads voraciously, drinks tea, and thinks about fairy tales and sea monsters. She can be found at her website devanbarlow.com.