The Defiling

by Bridget McKenna

On a pilgrimage across a pitiless desert, three poets find a small child dying of thirst and exposure. They stop to observe and create art from the moment, for this is the work of true poets—their duty to the world. One will not be changed by the tragedy they are about to witness. One will lose everything she possesses, and the third will feel the weight of her next decision for every moment of her life to come.

The Defiling is a science fiction short story of approximately 3000 words. It originally appeared in Amazing Stories magazine, edited by Patrick L. Price. This edition contains an essay by the author, "Writing The Defiling."

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2014

About the author

Bridget McKenna was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has lived in a fair number of places since, including southern, central, and northern California, west Texas, northern Illinois, Seattle, and London.

In addition to writing, Bridget practices hypnotherapy, reads avidly (science fiction, fantasy, mystery, classics, and many flavors of nonfiction) and is hopelessly addicted to BBC historical dramas. She lives in Seattle, and writes for the computer games industry.