Briar Day

Published here as a stand-alone chapbook, Briar Day is a short, slipstream story about masculinity, fairy tales, and the narratives we tell ourselves. Also available in the collection The Birdcage Heart & Other Strange Tales. Everyone remembers where they were when the briars first choked the city. Everyone celebrates the anniversary of their rescue from the rampaging dragon and the mysterious curse that afflicted Brisbane. But not everybody is in the mood to celebrate the anniversary of Briar Day, and for two old friends with terrible memories of the day, the annual celebrations are nothing but a source of heartbreak.