The Girl Who Survived

The Girl Who Survived

by Beth Cato

mama said I don't got
no need to feel guilty
that we survived
'cause some folks used fancy
space ships and us
we used our magic to get away

but I don't fuss over
the rich folks on space ships
not like I seen them
'cept on TV

I think of the kids at school
wonder what happened to them
when the attacks hit
'n hope they found
the deep caves by the river
or maybe had some magic
coursin' in their blood too
'n always hid it, like I did

maybe what I feel isn't
"survivor's guilt"
like mama says
but the need for some hope
that just maybe they ain't
all dead
'n maybe one day I'll
find some old friends
as I stroll across fairyland
'n we can talk video games
like back in the old days

* * *

Nebula Award-nominated Beth Cato is the author of the Clockwork Dagger duology and the Blood of Earth trilogy from Harper Voyager. She’s a Hanford, California native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, son, and requisite cats. Follow her at BethCato.com and on Twitter at @BethCato.

What inspires you to write and keep writing?

My brain can't stop telling stories. No matter the situation, I can find a myriad of other 'what ifs' to explain a dilemma. And, to be blunt, there are a lot of things I really dislike about reality. I want magic. I want parallel universes. I want incredible creatures. If I can't find them in the modern world, well, I'll write them into existence.