An elderly tattooed woman tries to care for her belligerent older sister who has been paralyzed by a stroke and is embarrassed about her lack of independence. From Teresa Milbrodt s Bearded Women: Stories, this tale is one in a phenomenal collection (Asimov s Science Fiction) of short fiction about the so-called freaks trying negotiate a world that is quicker to stare than sympathize.

ChiZine Publications (CZP) curates the best of the bizarre, bringing you the most excitingly weird, subtle, dark, and disturbing literary fiction. Look for more titles in the ChiZine short stories collection to build your digital library.