To balance skin on a knife edge was the workshop name. Marie was more than a little horrified by it. But she was also intrigued. Would this workshop give her the apricot glow she’d always dreamed of? Or would she wind up in some madman’s lair being dissected on a table in a room full of students taking notes. She snapped a pic of the flyer and went on with her days. Fourteen days later she was wandering down alleyways in search of a steampunk festival. She was bedecked in her finery, goggles and cogwheels and gears oh my… She made another turn down another side street and stopped short. The japanese blooms on the sign ticked her memory. She scrolled through her camera roll until she found the workshop flyer. This was the place. Some insane bit of courage. She rang the bell. The door opened and a nice little old lady let her in. She was led past the adorable shop to the basement. The walls were covered in plastic and there was a morgue table in the center. It was Marie’s worst thoughts come true. Marie allowed the strength of Artemis to flow through her. She was startled when the woman opened a side door. Inside, six other girls her age were gathered around a worktable. They crushed herbs using large knives and added them to a large cauldron over the fire. They smiled and she was immediately ensnared in their conversation. The little old woman handed her an apron and Marie got to work. Her eyes were still moonstones as she worked. Jen was in her civics class. Amy lived in her dorm. They mixed and swirled and laughed until dawn. Each of them left with a small jar that smelled of peaches and promises of dewy fresh skin before the next full moon.
The prompts for this short story:
steampunk
japanese blooms
moonstone
apricot glow
workshop
to balance skin
Copyright 2019 Klaudia Grady