Brimstone Orange

by Livia Llewellyn

Midnight found her kneeling in grass, thick clumps of dirt all around. One by one she peeled and plucked segments of orange from its skin, then passed them between her legs. In the secret crevices of the tree, she gently tucked away the red-stained pulp. After, Cyan cradled the slender trunk, her fingers buried in its roots.

“Bear something for me,” she pleaded in her sleep. “Bear me.”