Magical Realism Archives - Page 3 of 4

The Tree Remembers, and the Magic of Forests

Thea van Diepen

You are surrounded by cedars so massive that they turn the aspen and dogwood between them into undergrowth by comparison. Ferns brush against your legs as you walk between them, walk on ground which has the unnerving habit of turning your footsteps hollow. In those places, it is only because of the moss-covered tree roots that you don’t fall through the thin crust of soil and come face to face with the lacy fronds above them, and you know it.

The Kitten Psychologist Tries to be Patient Through Email (a short story)

Thea van Diepen

(Read the previous installment, “The Kitten Psychologist vs. The Kitten’s Owners” here) Dear kitten, I would absolutely love to speak with you, but your humans, as you say, have decided I can’t ever see you. You’ll have to deal with the tumblr thing on your own. Sincerely, Your psychologist Dear psychologist human, There is no reason to be rude with me. As you see perfectly well, we can talk through email. Your payment will be minimal to none as

The Kitten Psychologist vs. The Kitten’s Owners (a short story)

Thea van Diepen

(Read the previous installment, “The Kitten Psychologist Broaches the Topic of Economics,” here) Boy, was I in trouble. I think it would have been worse if I hadn’t called my friends the day I left for vacation, which is exactly why I did that. But, man, give them two weeks to steam off and they were still mad. And, okay, yeah, I deserved it. When I got back, they demanded an accounting of exactly how much money their kitten had

The Kitten Psychologist Broaches the Topic of Economics (a short story)

Thea van Diepen

There once was a little kitten. No, not the kitten I wrote a story about one week for Backstage Passes. Definitely a different kitten. A very different kitten. Oh, fine. It’s the same kitten. So I’m reusing characters. So what? This kitten had had a hard time going outside. Which is as much to say as it didn’t. Not after its first experience with snow, which is probably like a person’s first experience with horseradish: you either like it or

Anime Your Characters: The ‘These Other Doors’ Edition (part 1)

Thea van Diepen

Back in June, I found a dress up game which I pretty much immediately used to create pictures of major characters from my forthcoming White Changeling series. Part one of this can be found here. And part two is here. Well, earlier this week, I was bored and had some time on my hands, so I created anime versions of the main characters of the short stories planned for These Other Doors. Plus two other characters. Um. I’ll explain: I’ve