her finger reached for the spindle of its own will, just as her body had led her to the room all to pay for her parents' deed. no amount of burned spindles could rid her of the curse; nor could they rid her from that which was in her hand. a tear rolled down her face as she had her last moments of consciousness before her finger reached the sharp point and she fell to sleep for a century {excellent sleeping beauty retelling and one of my personal favorite books: spindle by wr gingell. absolutely incredible, though the first read-through can be confusing due to its alice-in-wonderland tone and complex magic structure.} {other good retellings: sleeping beauty by km shea [also excellent] and curse of the thirteenth fey by jane yolen} {poetry and art by the dowager}
