It is never easy growing up different, but when no one has looked like you in seven generations, social life can become quite difficult to manage. No enlightened elder would give heed to ridiculous superstitions such as “the blond curse” or “the fair maiden of the apocalypse”, nor will they believe that one glance from your clear green eyes can render cows barren, but… There’s always a but.
It is never easy growing up different, but when no one has looked like you in seven generations, social life can become quite difficult to manage.
Of course nobody blames you, poor innocent child, for being born a green eyed blonde in a village full of raven haired people, certainly not your aunt, who loves you just the way you are, for the most part.
No enlightened elder would give heed to ridiculous superstitions such as “the blond curse” or “the fair maiden of the apocalypse”, nor will any reasonable person believe that one glance from your clear green eyes can render cows barren, but… There’s always a but.
Francis Rosenfeld is a novelist and multimedia storyteller whose work explores society, change, and human connection through fiction.
Her work spans science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, speculative fiction, and philosophical essays, often blending introspection with imaginative world building.
Her ongoing experiments in publishing explore ways of creating literary ecosystems in which audio, essays, and reader participation become part of a larger conversation.
Published books : Terra Two, Generations, Letters to Lelia, The Plant - A Steampunk Story, Door Number Eight, Fair, A Year and A Day, Möbius' Code, Between Mirrors, The Blue Rose Manuscript, Don't Look Down, The Library, My Dear Fiona,The Gates of Horn and Ivory and Angel.
To learn more about her work, please visit her blog, STORIES by Francis Rosenfeld, or subscribe to her newsletter - The Margins on Substack.