Saturday, 13 June 2026

'Thaw' by Tracy Royce

On her first anniversary, Amanda defrosted her ambition. The bridal guides—she had to remind herself the word wasn’t spelled “bridle”—had advised wrapping it in something precious to minimize freezer burn. She’d used the pages of her thesis, on deep freeze since the wedding. Now she pushed aside the frozen protein shakes her husband had forgotten to pack when he’d moved out. There you are. She ran her hand across the frost. The ice crystals were delicate, like feathers. And then they melted, a rivulet of water spilling between her fingers.



Tracy Royce is a writer and poet with work appearing in 100 Word Story, The Mackinaw, ONE ART, and forthcoming in Best Microfiction (2026). Her work has been nominated for Best Small Fictions and a Pushcart Prize. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys hiking. Find her on Bluesky.

 

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