Ahh! I'm hugely excited to share with y'all this story, "Don't You Cry." Although it is the second story of mine to get published, it's the first story that was accepted and so will always hold a special place in my heart.
Plus, I think the backstory for this one is really fun.
If you want to skip the backstory, you can read the short story on Kaidankai Stories.
Kaidankai is primarily a podcast, so you can also listen to it here.
Okay! Now the backstory:
Some years ago, a writing prompt on reddit caught my eye: what if the children who used the Frosty the Snowman hat were all grown up?
I was seized with inspiration and banged out a dark and twisted tale of perversions and curses. Last year, I pulled it out of its file for revision. A friend suggested I cut "the weird sex stuff" (alas) and focus on a singular theme.
I also realized that Frosty the Snowman is not in the public domain, and so the story could no longer be about the kids using Frosty's hat. Instead, it became a couple of friends who own a magical skeleton key.
However, I kept a nod to its origins in the title. “Don’t You Cry” is a line from Frosty the Snowman (Don’t you cry, I’ll be back again someday) that I always found sinister.
And so, weird sex stuff removed and skeleton key added, "Don't You Cry" became its own story, now here for your enjoyment.
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