Josie Smith’s story “Souls Like Sea Glass” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 9 July 2021. 
I’m a shameless Pinterest addict and keep an entire folder full of distinctive images that inspire me for one reason or another. One night while scrolling through the app, I came across an image of a woman holding a lantern aloft while standing on a windswept shore. Something in my mind whispered that she was searching for souls and I latched onto the idea.
I’d been taking a creative writing class for fun that semester and needed to turn in a short story. I love writing but tend to stick to poetry and novels so short stories were a new challenge for me. This idea worked perfectly for the length I needed to turn in and I had so much fun writing it. Not caring about making a first draft perfect, I had thrown in everything I love and always try to include in my writing: a wild, inspiring natural setting, tenacious girls, and hints of history and folklore woven throughout.
I’d never intended to take the story any further than my class, but after turning in my final, polished draft for the semester, I decided to submit it to a few places and just see what would happen. Then, with some more polish and rewriting, it found a home! I’m so excited to see my story in print and hope you enjoy reading it nearly as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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