Recently, I had a short piece accepted for publication in Issue 12 of Eyedrum Periodically, an online art and literary journal put out by Atlanta's Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery. For this issue, writers and artists were asked to focus on the theme of 'fusion,' in any and all senses of the word.

Once I'd gotten all the Steven Universe and GaoGaiGar jokes out of my head, I came up with 'Grey Line,' the story of a woman named Mary as she struggles with the whims of Anne, a childish princess whose temper tantrums and demands for attention haunt Mary everywhere from work to social life to family situations. The two speak only occasionally in private sessions, during which Mary attempts various methods of taming the destructive, immature little girl. In the end, there's only one way to do it.

I won't go too far into the ending, but 'Grey Line' focuses on the concept of the Shadow, one of my favourite literary and psychological themes. You see it everywhere, from Harry Potter to Lethal Weapon, and it's an element of our own lives. Fictional characters dealing with their Shadow makes for engaging reading, providing it's done right. But more importantly, it's something we all go through in our lives. And unless we do it properly, we end up with problems.

You'll learn, if you haven't already, that Jung is my jam, and it shows up in everything I do, whether that's fiction, critical writing, or dream interpretation. I loved having the opportunity in 'Grey Line' to write a Shadow story for a change, rather than interpreting someone else's, and I'd love to expand on this at some point.

Eyedrum Periodically is free to read, so I hope you'll all hop over and give my story and the others in this issue a look. And let me know what you think!