Synkroniciti is thrilled to welcome writer Shirlee Jellum of Washington state with “Between Worlds,” one of our “Dreams” short story contest winners. This is an insightful and empathic story of identity development during early elementary school. After the breakup of his parent’s marriage, Timmy is experiencing difficulty focusing and expressing himself. His daydreams reveal a sweet, sensitive child who identifies with the feminine elements of human nature. His mother understands this. His father and his teacher do not.
“Hot tears sting Timmy’s eyes and snot drips onto his desk. He listens to the muffled voices and scooting chairs around him, squeezes his eyes tighter and pictures himself in a long purple gown soaring through the air on his dragon, its golden feathers glinting in the sun. He can feel the warm air ruffling his soft yellow hair, his heartbeat tight against the beast’s strong back as he anticipates the arrival of Prince—”
After being intimidated in front of the class, Timmy finds a friend in Sarah, who does well in school but is perceptive and principled enough to see how Timmy is singled out. The annual Halloween party is coming up and Timmy’s mother makes him a special costume that will turn heads. Timmy isn’t the only one revealing something unexpected.
Shirlee handles this story with such tenderness, showing Timmy’s innocence and youth at an extremely vulnerable time. Timmy and Sarah behave and speak like children rather than adults in therapy–there are levels of glee and honesty that we adults have trouble accessing and writing and Shirlee does this with ease. Layers of taboo, stereotype, and pathos are stripped away as we come to understand that some of us are simply different. Difference is beautiful and worthy of respect.
Read “Between Worlds” in Synkroniciti’s “Dreams” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Shirlee Jellum is a retired English teacher living on an isolated farm above the Columbia River Gorge in Washington. When she isn’t pressing apples for cider, making fruit wine or harvesting and processing produce from her garden, she finds time to write fiction, nonfiction and poetry. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, she has been published in a variety of online magazines and anthologies.
When she needs a break or more inspiration for her writing, she backpacks, travels and volunteers as a lighthouse keeper.