Author Archives: Theodora Goss

Thorns and Briars by Theodora Goss I locked my heart in a box and put that box on a shelf high in the room of a house surrounded by thorns and briars. They parted to let me through, then closed … Continue reading →

The Words by Theodora Goss Sometimes the words decide they don’t like me anymore. They don’t want to sit next to me on the bus or hold my hand in the store — they walk behind me in the public … Continue reading →

Vivian to Merlin by Theodora Goss I called you, and you would not answer me. What power was it that trapped you in the oak? They blame me, saying I have cast a spell, but even if I had that … Continue reading →

Thumbelina by Theodora Goss Sometimes I would like to be very small so I could curl into a snail’s shell or a seashell: abalone, nautilus, even an oyster shell.  I would let the oyster cover me with layer on layer … Continue reading →

The Quiet Woman by Theodora Goss They did not notice her: they never do. She lived there many years and never said a single thing to shock them.  Pleasant, kind, and inconspicuous as the small gray mouse whose progeny the … Continue reading →

The Snow by Theodora Goss Listen: The snow is falling with a whisper to the ground, and it settles on the grasses like a cold white shawl. What do you think it whispers? Just such a silent sound as white … Continue reading →

Rumpelstiltskin by Theodora Goss The little man tore himself in two. What did the two halves do after that? Fairy folk don’t die from such simple operations. And no, they didn’t hop about, each on a single leg. Each half … Continue reading →