I am a walker. It clears my brain, orders my thoughts, frees me to send my imagination soaring. If that sounds like hyperbole – well perhaps it is, but the truth often is. I do some of my best writing while I’m walking, and always have my phone with me so I can dictate notes as needed.
I am also dyslexic and on the spectrum. I see patterns in things. I also see things that break that pattern. That means while I’m strolling about, I usually find bits and bobs along the way. I toss/recycle the big things as needed, kick stones, lift branches and other trip hazards out of the way for the unwary. Treasures I pick up and bring home. I clean them and place them in a small basket which hangs from a peg by the back door.
What are treasures? if you check out the image for this entry you will find jewelry, coins and tokens, toys, marbles, dominoes and a ceramic bird among the rest. The dominoes are from two different sets. There is a third one from yet another set. I wondered about how three separate people in three different areas of my little town could lose pieces from three sets of dominoes.
And then during a cold winter walk, I saw the mirror, out waiting for pickup by one of our local charities. It was in an oddly carved frame – heavy as hell – and the mirror itself was crazed and quite dusty. The fractured lines and the rainy mist made my image distort in a magical way, as though it was reflecting another reality.
When I got home I sat down at one of my looms to finish work on a shawl. I always have music playing when I’m weaving, and the first song that came on was “The Door Into Summer” by the Monkees. Suddenly the story fell into place, bringing together the mirror, the dominoes and a chilly winter morning.
The story was my first professional sale. The wonderful folks at Cinnabar Moth Press have been so kind and supportive (and will be publishing another story of mine next Spring).
You can find “A Door Into Summer” in the March 2022 Cinnabar Moth Literary Collection at the link below. Check out the rest of the stories in the issue and of course the other issues, too!
