"Snow and Salt" by Genevieve Cogman

"Snow and Salt" is a new twist on a classic story.  Genevieve Cogman paints a darker picture of the characters we've grown to cherish.  Every character exudes evil, a sad commentary on the world as it is rather than as we pretend it could be.  As a man pays the seven to reawaken his dead wives, he perpetuate his love and violent tendencies.  The seven do their part, knowing the bleakness of the woman's future, but performing the ceremony anyway, because that is what they do.

I was about a third of the way through the story before I recognized the parallel.  In hindsight, I should have recognized it from the start, but Cogman cleverly drew me into the piece and she deserves credit for her bravery.  Stories like this appear every so often, and they are always a delight.  I finished the story refreshed, imagining the unique and varied directions my own prose could take.  The last paragraph took the piece in another direction yet again, although not entirely to the benefit of the piece.  Regardless, the story is worth the quick read.