He sprinted naked through the frozen streets, his mind fractured and lost where only a Great Salmon could carry him to the celestial gates. When he collapsed before the marble gaze of the Virgin Mary, the silence of the stone felt like a divine command. He plunged his fingers into his orbital sockets, the sharp snap of the optic nerves echoing in the quiet air. With a frantic, tearing heave, he liberated the jelly of his sight, leaving hollow, dark pits that wept onto the pavement. “I feel much better now,” he whispered, finally ready to fly into the light.
[Copyright © 2026 by B.R. Potter. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.]
What an incredible opening line! You instantly had me. I love the allusion to the crying statue and the imagery of Mary in general. Thank you for commenting on my post! New subscriber for sure