Mysterion, November 2021

“The Inksmith” by Katherine Briggs

Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett

There is one first-publication story in the November issue of Mysterion.

“The Inksmith” by Katherine Briggs

The people consider Helena, the wife of a shipwright, an angel in this short fantasy. But she knows she isn’t. It’s just that the stains of her sins remain hidden below her neckline. And when her husband returns from the sea, she fears him seeing the new marks she had earned while he was away.

So she runs away. Her husband had boasted of a friend whose purity had washed away his stains. Now she sought him out, unsure what he would think or demand in return for cleansing her blemishes.

The plot moved slowly and seemed to stop before the story could find a conclusion.

You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com