The Ladies of Horror

The Gilded Cage
by Jaime Johnesee

Her name was Fenris and she was the most beautiful Fae I’d ever seen. It was my good fortune to catch her in the desert as she lay on a rock sunbathing. Her wings were spread wide and a smile of satisfaction beamed upon her tiny face as she absorbed the energy of the sun.

I knew in that moment I had to possess her, own her. I knew then that there was nobody in this world fit for her and that it was my duty to protect and watch over her.

I quickly scooped her up and dumped her in the mason jar that had held my moonshine, after poking holes in the lid, of course.

It took me over an hour to walk home. By then, she was sweating and panting in the heat of the glass-jar prison turned accidental convection oven.

I gave her a small sliver of ice cube and a few grapes then set to work crafting her cage. It had to be large enough to give her room to walk around and even fly a bit.

I used carbon steel wire, wrapped in coils of gold. It took twelve hours and I had to stop twice to feed her a few shortbread cookies and some more fruit.

When the cage was finished, I plucked her out of the mason jar and gave her access to my bathroom sink to take a bath or shower. A Q-Tip served as her washcloth and a washcloth made a fine towel.

I laid out a dress that had once been my sister’s doll’s dress–I’d cut out the back for Fenris’ wings. When she was dressed, I placed her inside her new cage and locked the door.

“There now, you’re safe inside here forever and ever.” I told her.

Fiction © Copyright Jaime Johnesee
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

About Author Jaime Johnesee:

Jaime Johnesee lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons. She spent fourteen years as a zookeeper before shifting her focus to writing full time. Known best for her horror comedy series, Bob the Zombie, she is also currently authoring the paranormal-horror series Samantha Reece Mysteries for Devil Dog Press.

Website: www.JaimeJohnesee.com
Twitter: @JaimeJohnesee
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