The Wishing Pool
ShortStory 4,102 words Recommended by 5 award/anthology sources
"Joy nearly got lost on the root-knotted red dirt path off of Highway 99, losing sight of the gaps between the live oaks and Spanish moss that fanned across her hood and windows like fingertips. Driving back to her family’s cabin twenty years later reminded her that the woods had rarely been restful for her."
Content warnings 2
death-of-a-loved-oneillness-and-pandemic
Quasar links out; the story lives on Uncanny, where the author gets the click.