Mysterion, July 2025

“My Gallery Granddaughter” by Gretchen Tessmer

“Bright and Distant as the Moons” by Joshua Lampkins

Reviewed by Mina

“My Gallery Granddaughter” by Gretchen Tessmer is a truly heartwarming tale. In it, paintings come to life. In a museum, a bitter old man is depicted as trying to pray in his loneliness, across from a little girl playing with her kitten. The little girl is crying because her painting is to be put in storage, where she will be left alone in the dark. The old man encourages her to open the door behind her in the picture as he has enough faith to hope. The sweet ending is not cloying but joyful. It’s no coincidence that the little girl is called Grace, with its deeper meaning.

Do look up the photo mentioned by the author at the end as her partial inspiration for this tale.

“Bright and Distant as the Moons” by Joshua Lampkins is a very well-written tale. The slow build-up gives the ending the punch it deserves and its title a neat double meaning. Father Poatnum watches over an underwater temple. One day, a criminal seeks sanctuary at the temple. The priest gives it and finds himself in an impossible quandary. His flagging faith is returned to him along with a possible solution.

Tales about finding faith again and redemption can be too preachy to stomach but this one gets the tone just right: very human and gently humorous. A pleasure to read.