My Body is a Cage and Other Stories

“Give me back my mother,” she says. And she repeats this over and over and over.
“Astrid!” He grabs her arm to stop her, but she paysno attention.
Something begins pulling them both, invisible tendrilswrapped around their bones. He
screams her name again, but she doesn’t respond.
She is bathed in white light. It sizzles her nervesand untethers her from gravity and Ezra
has a death grip on her hand as they are reaped fromsolid ground. Mouth slack, eyes wide,
written on her face is hope. She looks more like hermother then, than she ever has in her life.