Two Fic Tuesday for May 19th

Hi, hello and welcome!

This week I bring you two stories that really stayed with me in ways I didn't expect. I was left feeling emotional by the time I finished them, and I went back and re-read both after a while. These stories felt like small gifts that I hadn't been expecting to receive, so I'm glad to share them with all of you now.

Recs

Just Before the Mission Gulch Fire - Taylor Jones - Small Wonders
This story left me feeling quiet and warm. It was a comfort, and I wanted to wrap it around me. There was a kind of earned safety to it, and I walked away feeling better for having read it. Sometimes you find yourself needing a story and not realizing it, and this was one of those for me.

Dead Letter Orchard - Cate McGowan - hexliterary
I went into this story very curious by the title, but when I finished it, I felt a little bit like crying. This story touched me in a way I wasn't expecting, and it was another one that felt both like a moment of release, and a moment of mourning. I think I needed this one too, even if it left me feeling more vulnerable than the previous one.

I wish all of you many good stories,

• Vale

PS: If you want to find me elsewhere, I'm on Bluesky at @howsweetthewords and I have a Ko-fi and Patreon where I post prompts, more personal/writing updates, microfiction, and miscellany. Tiers start at $1, but there is the occasional free post as well.