The Chosen: Explorations of the Feminine

By L.A. Crawford

THE CHOSEN: EXPLORATIONS OF THE FEMININE is a collection of four short stories that explore the role of the feminine in daily life. The first story in the collection, "Eva," takes the reader on a journey of life and death, giving the reader a glimpse of birth through the eyes of the baby, Eva. She's born during a violent storm, while others are losing their lives, creating a stark contrast between joy and grief.
"Eva" is followed by "The Empty Room," a heartbreaking tale of loss, love, and motherhood in the 1950s as Elaina tries to save her relationship with her boyfriend, Todd, while also maintaining her freedom.
The third story is "The Briefcase" which highlights the darker, more mistrusting side of the feminine. While boarding an airplane, Aaron, a young Israeli man, experiences a strange confrontation with a woman known only as "the woman in seat 16A." This confrontation, and their subsequent relationship, shines a light on how damaging prejudice can be.
The last story in the collection, "Chosen," follows the dark coming-of-age story of seven-year-old Clarence in 1820s South Carolina. She awakes on the morning of her seventh birthday thrilled to finally experience the secretive ritual required of her church to become a full member. Little does she know, there is a darkness in the baptismal waters of their congregation that she has been chosen to face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.A. Crawford
• Release date: Dec 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463589205

L.A. Crawford

L.A. Crawford is an independent novelist and poet best known for her urban fantasy series AXE OF VALHALLA (coming Fall 2019) and sensual poetry chapbook WHIPS, WINE, AND OTHER SECRETS (coming Summer 2019). She is currently working on a BFA in creative writing from Full Sail University and an MA in medieval history from the University of Nebraska – Kearney where she studies the history of science, magic, and medieval Icelandic grimoires. When she is not writing, teaching, or studying the history of alchemy, L.A. Crawford is a loving mother, amateur astronomer, professional historian, and devout Lokean.

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The Chosen:

Explorations of the Feminine

by L.A. Crawford

Copyright 2019 L.A. Crawford

Published by L.A.Crawford at Smashwords

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Table of Contents

Eva

The Empty Room

The Briefcase

Chosen

About the Author

Other Titles

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Eva

She could only see the darkness. Her spirit lay in the quietness of not knowing who you are or where you are from or where you are going. Pressure and silence consumed her. She knew only peace and only of her own existence. Wants and needs and emotions were meaningless concepts adrift in the field of her wandering mind. There was only darkness and then stars. Miniature, meaningless stars.

And then the light came.

Tiny goosepumps formed on her soft, silky flesh as the cold air hit her. Chaos