Read More: A Brief Q&A with Joan Slatoff
Three months ago, before my world changed, I sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in Beth’s upscale living room. She slumped on the white leather sofa, her body resembling a partially deflated balloon, worried about her fourteen-year-old daughter, Angie.
I’ve always idolized my sister, Beth. Six years my senior, whatever stage of life she’d attained seemed a height I’d never reach. When I was in high school, I was often referred to as ‘Beth’s sister’, which put me in a category somewhere between gorgeous and super-smart. I thought of myself as quiet but somewhat normal and knew I could never live up to her reputation.
“Not trying to sit zazen. So what’s going on with Angie? A cult? Really?” I said.
“Ugh. It’s called MFS–Mermaids for Seahorses. The club members dye their hair blue with a special product ordered from the website.” Beth put quote fingers up for the word club. “It’s all about saving the seahorses.”
“What d’you think? A scam?”
“I’m not sure. Angie doesn’t have many in person friends, and this…”
“Is taking the place of real life friends?”
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know what to do.”
“What’s the website like?” I stared at Beth. Not knowing what to do was not in her DNA.
“It seems to be run by this Ianthe, who calls herself the mermaid goddess. There’s this whole system of levels called mermaid circles, of all things.” […]
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Joan Slatoff’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in Exposition Review, Dime Show Review, Bangalore Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Sequestrum, and Isele.
Read More: A Brief Q&A with Joan Slatoff