/ Queen of the World
She was the queen of the world, but she didn't know it. The cosmos worshiped her quietly. And she thought that's how it was for everyone.
The Three
Three stories were cut from the collection.
Two for length. One because it upset someone whose opinion I was, at the time, obliged to consider.
That obligation has since lapsed.
Extras
Gadi woke up in bed inside a thin layer of sand.
No, no, no. He lay there a few more moments, letting his consciousness come back from the night.
Slowly his personality returned, as if cast into an empty mold. The memories returned.
And then the new realization hit him: the bed really was covered in sand.
He got up to brush his teeth.
Sand all over the house.
"I don't even know how to start dealing with this."
"Fuck it, we'll go to work and see about it later."
She was the queen of the world, but she didn't know it. The cosmos worshiped her quietly. And she thought that's how it was for everyone.
He didn't leave the house until he'd finished drawing himself a face.
It took a while. Everything always took him a while.
First a base layer, too dark, so there'd be something to draw on at all.
Then eyebrows, thicker than the ones he used to have, so a gaze would have somewhere to sit.
The nose he gave up on today.
Last of all, he drew himself lips.
I'm a good friend.
And I have proof of it. Ultimate proof. It's like God himself told me I'm a good friend.
And how do I know? Because Mia Goldfarb chose me as a friend.
And Mia's choices are always right.
Always.
He works from home, she feeds him, and their love story becomes increasingly literal.
2. Queen of the World
The invisible crown: an ordinary woman walks beneath a quiet cosmic halo while rain, insects, and obstacles curve away from her.
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