Something Bright

Left on her own at a young age, Batch grew up in logging camps as a rough-and-tumble tomboy in men's clothing, and kept all her soft and tender impulses carefully hidden. Even her name is a joke to most, and she used to drink to keep herself from minding. But with the area quieting down into orderly farms and civilized towns, complete with stricter notions of propriety, and her mind finally clear and sober, Batch is starting to wonder, and worry, about who she is, and where her place in the world might be. It's a bit of a shock to encounter Olivia Hooper again in the middle of her worrying. Like Batch, Hooper dresses in pants and does work most women don't. But Hooper is something special. She wears her hair short and carries herself so confidently that few attempt to argue with her on the matter. She befriends everyone Batch cares about, and tells fantastical stories about true love, and destiny, and the town where she grew up; a place where no one cares how she dresses—or who she might step out with. Hooper talks a lot of nonsense, but Batch is intrigued. Maybe it's Hooper's eyes that sometimes, almost, seem to glow, or the way no one can sneak up on her. Or maybe it's the bold way Hooper declares that she's in search of a wife, with her fierce gaze fixed right on Batch. The idea is as impossible as Hooper's mythical hometown. But less than a day under Olivia Hooper's careful attention and Batch finds herself feeling almost like she's someone special too, someone delicate and soft and admired for it. As if Hooper's stories are real, and there is a place for Batch if Batch could only dare to imagine it. A Being(s) in Love f/f historical novella