And, with a little help from my friends, the story got cut to 5,935 words. I must say I'm amazed, because I don't think I've lost anything really significant from the 7,300-word version. Importantly, the story has kept the tone, and the character's voice. That makes me happy.

Now, to find it a good home. I've submitted it already, but I'm not sure it will be the perfect fit for this market--it's a cross genre story with a rather science-fictiony feel, except it features magic and witches... I do love this story, though, so I hope it will find a home one day.

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