#117-opossum-teeth
The Smallest Coffins Are The Heaviest
Category: Short Story
Language: English
Word Count: 6,400
Description: Alloaro Lily is single and never planned on having a kid, so when she unexpectedly gets pregnant, her friend Rain agrees to help her through the pregnancy and co-parent when the child is born. The troubles of pregnancy, however, put a strain on their relationship and suddenly Lily has a bad feeling about the baby. (This story is romance and sex free, apart from a brief mention of Lily being slut shamed for “sleeping around.”)
Content Warnings: pregnancy, (late term) abortion, arophobia/amatonormativity and slut shaming, depression, anger, and abortion traumanote: if there are any warnings i’ve missed, please let me know so i can add them!
- Disclaimer: I am submitting this for ASAW and Aro Writing Month, although while the main character, Lily, is alloaro (along with the supporting character, Rain, being genderqueer), the story does not revolve around their identities nor are they explicitly said within the text, but they are implied.
Earth’s
loveletter to meA loveless aro’s love confession.
Nature is Earth’s love letter to me.
But if I’m being real,
what I feel is not love at all.
If I’m being real,
it’s more of an appreciation,
a healing of the soul.
Maybe love is the main appeal to most,
and honestly, I can’t blame them.
I’ve been stuck in the confines,
trying to decipher the very meaning of love,
trying to not feel like a monster for maybe
not feeling it at all.
Since when did not feeling something become a crime?
Perhaps I am just a ghost,
cursed to never experience the very meaning of life, of everything,
to never experience what makes us human.
Or maybe at one point, love was something my heart was familiar with.
And maybe somewhere along the way,
a noose was hung around its neck,
and it now lies dead, ashes upon my feet.
Here I am, living as the ghost of my past love.
And yet… The world around me still exists.
My heart may not beat for love,
but I cannot deny the fondness I feel
for the world’s many gifts.
My heart may not beat for love,
but the song of the mourning dove would be just as permissible.
My heart may not beat for love,
but the rain’s droplets on my skin fills me with excitement all the same.
My heart may not beat for love,
but still I cannot resist the swaying of the trees,
or the warmth of a flame.
My heart may not beat for love,
but the sight of the stars will never not appease
the longing in my soul being put at ease.
So, maybe love is the main appeal to most,
and for that, I cannot blame them.
But if I have to live as a ghost
among Strangers and Dead feelings,
at least I still have the beauty around me to turn to.
While everyone else is off with their true loves,
I’ll be in the meadows and under the canopies,
enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face,
learning what life could Truly be for me.
The Aromantic Maiden
Sat at an open lattice window,
A maiden lets out a desperate cry
In hopes a savior will appear
From the starry night sky.
This is a forlorn last hope
On the night before her wedding day
Of a forced marriage she cannot cope,
She dreads her world turning to gray.
There’s movement in the inky sky,
It just barely catches her eye.
A figure in the darkness
Grows with every passing moment.
Soon the maiden realized its course,
Coming straight for her lattice window,
Flying fast and full force.
The monster was thrice the size of a horse.
The maiden stumbled from her seat,
Her heart thumped and breath caught in her throat.
The monster was snake-like and sleek,
It was no other than a dragon.
The beast landed on the building’s wall,
Sending a tremble through the room.
It stretched its neck through the window
And from its nostrils came a smoky plume.
The maiden cowered in the corner
Yet dared a glance at the foreigner,
And in its eyes she saw
No malice or disdain.
Instead there was compassion,
Understanding, and maybe even
An escape. The dragon
She suddenly believed in.
The beast had heard her prayer
And beckoned her out of her lair.
This was the savior she sought after,
Freedom was right in front of her.
She climbed onto the dragon’s back
And held on for dear life.
As the dragon expanded its wings,
She kissed goodbye her role as wife.
They sprang into the ebony night
And flew to a great height.
With the full moon to guide them,
The maiden was without any fright.
