Metaphorosis is a speculative fiction journal rising in recognition and it hosts an array of stories in keeping with its tagline: Beautifully Made Speculative Fiction. In honor of having a few days off from work, I read Ogle’s poignant story “Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, and I Love You.” Self-identifying as a mother and an emergency-room nurse, Ogle writes a story full of tenderness and sadness that is an ode to both occupations.

The witch Percy was created for a man’s selfish desire and when she finds herself on her own, she has only her son to love. When she loses that son, she is desperate to find any way she can to recover him–or at least enough of him to apologize to. The story wanders through reminiscences and contemplations on the nature of witchiness (I love the descriptions of her heart as a residence for evil: “It wound itself into a tight little knot and dug itself deep into her core.”) to a tearful, but satisfying, end.

If you’re looking for a different sort of celebration of family after Thanksgiving, check out this tale!