Please join Synkroniciti in welcoming writer Erika Seshadri of New Mexico. Erika makes her debut with us with “Just in Case,” a captivating and well-crafted short story about a young man receiving a second chance in life. Last night he almost died and today he’s visiting Vivian’s Psychic Boutique to see if he can find his mother.
“Her eyes open, holding a look of expectation. “Is your name Jonathan?”
“Yes,” I answer.
“Roll up your sleeve,” she says. I do it, revealing the tattoo on my forearm. It’s marred with track marks, but the design of a scorpion is unmistakable. Vivian smiles gently and rises from her seat. “I’ve been waiting for you.””
It seems, for this brief span of time, that the stars are aligned–or perhaps there is a more logical explanation. Erika creates a mesmerizing world with an economy of words, giving us wonderful clues. Her descriptions are engrossing, believable, and also full of modern gothic noir ambience. In the end, cynicism is eclipsed by the power of a mother’s love.
Read “Just in Case” in Synkroniciti’s “Recovery” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Erika Seshadri lives in Lamy, New Mexico. She is a 2025 Best of the Net nominee for her poem, “Last Winter, This.” Her first book, Himalayan Tsunami (memoir; Erika & Niranjan Seshadri), won a 2024 BookFest Award and is currently being adapted for film.