Freddie Brightwood bends to peer at the swarm of moths fluttering in the terrarium, their powdery wings beating against the glass. He glances around to be sure he’s alone, no footmen lurking in the corners of the solarium or guests hiding behind plants, feeling self-conscious. And then he hums under his breath and makes a small circle with his pinkie, bringing his thoughts to a concentrated point. The moths freeze, suspended.
I have a new story out this week in Issue 65 of Uncanny Magazine!
“The Terrarium” uses a poignant moment between my two characters to explore the connection between stories and relationships, and how they withstand the test of time and hardships. Freddie can stop time, but he struggles to hold onto his love in a world that doesn’t have space for it.
“The Terrarium” is set in the fae-filled Georgian world of a longer piece I’m working on, and started out as a more straight-forward scene between the characters. Adding footnotes to the story allowed me to push it further and explore its themes more deeply. This is the first time I’ve tried that, and I was really happy with how it turned out!
“The Terrarium” is my fourth story in Uncanny. You can check out the previous stories (and my other short fiction publications) here.
Jordan Taylor 
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