BEING KAREN

She was so beautiful that no one could gaze at her. All those who served did so with eyes downcast or wearing a hood. They knew that beauty was the last thing you saw before your eyes went dark. Maybe it was a spell. It was said that her great great grandmother was born of a demon after all. Powerful magic ran in their family, and so it seemed that powerful beauty did too. The courtiers were used to it. The servants got used to it. The portrait painters? They worked with mirr

It was a quiet day, Tuesday morning does not scream tattoo. When she walked in I thought she was looking for her kid, not looking for ink. She wasn’t looking for ink either. She wandered over to the display and my heart sank a little, she was too old for a tramp stamp, too elegant for anything wild, and then I wondered if she already had some, just not where they could be seen. That cheered me up. She made eye contact and that was her way of smiling and saying hello. “Do you

Eating social media She opens the door with one hand and gives her friend the glass full of wine with the other “Come in, sit down, try to be quiet” “As if!” her friend takes two big gulps, throws her bag onto the only free space on the couch and wanders over to the kitchen. “What are you doing?” “Cooking” “No no. What are you doing? What’s the story? Why aren’t you set up to film” “I’m cooking, see”, the knife is waved vaguely in the air and then returns to the board and the

Warrior Magic The master pulls his cloak more closely around himself, the room ice cold and drafty, all the windows open to the air year round. He stands quietly as they came in. They rattle and clank, bump into each other in passing, looking around for a seat or a place to lean against the wall. He sighs, and is thankful he only has to do this a few times every year. When their training is done, warriors are granted one small magic. He feels the tension in the room, they all