New Story Release: “The Girl with No Hands” in Kaleidotrope

I have a new story out in the spring issue of Kaleidotrope.net!

Content Warning: Parental Abuse

“The Girl with No Hands” started out as a conversation with my therapist about the ways fairy tales do such a good job of depicting the brutal, surprising maze of internal logic that’s often used in or created by abuse. This conversation led me to the Grimm’s fairy tale “The Girl Without Hands,” or “The Armless Maiden.” Dismemberment seemed like such a perfect metaphor for the loss of self that often comes from abuse, and the loss of hands specifically for the loss of self-reliance. For me, at least, gaining self-sufficiency and learning to trust myself have been the hardest part of breaking free – even decades after the fact.

My retelling “The Girl with No Hands” uses the Grimm’s fairy tale to talk about the challenges of breaking free, finding a sense of home and safety, and becoming self-reliant. I wrote it in a furor of emotion in just two hours of furious typing, and it felt like I literally sweated it out. I’m a little nervous to have it out in the world, to be honest. But I hope it illuminates things for someone, or brings someone hope for a place of peace and independence.

One day we’ll reattach our hands.