Divination, 1977
His open palm quavers inches from your face. He snaps his fingers, fails to arrest a hoppy belch, then throws more hewed pine—opaque with sap—into the growling belly of the Franklin stove. Demands to know if all his boys are girls. Cuffs your older brother smartly behind an ear when he begins to cry; enjoins you with stubbled chin to throw your “baby” blankets into the fire. Your mother tucks her chin to divorce herself from the florid gleam dancing in his rheumy gaze, and turns down the volume on the console RCA. Tinkerbell soars soundlessly, wanding her stardust over Wonderful World of Disney spires.
But children must believe if they’re to fly—earthbound, the skin across your knuckles instead draws tight as you feed your talisman to his flames.
Gina Marie Bernard is a heavily tattooed transgender woman, retired roller derby vixen, and full-time dorky English teacher. She lives in Bemidji, Minnesota. She has work appearing in Penultimate Peanut, Meow Meow Pow Pow, and Monkeybicycle. She has work forthcoming in Gingerbread House, STORGY, x-r-a-y lit mag, Anti-Heroine Chic, and Whale Road Review. Her daughters, Maddie and Parker, share her heart. Her work has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, and the Pushcart Prize. She is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Arkansas, Monticello.