‘Of Mist Grass and Sand’ by Vonda McIntyre

Another one from my mother’s collection. This short story eventually became the novel, Dream Snake. Re-reading this, I am reminded all over again of the sophisticated world building, where nothing is explained. You just come to understand that snakes can cure, and marriages are a partnership of three people, and you go along with the story and accept the scenery without question. Amongst my fantasy loving friends this is a touchstone. Have you read…? I know they are serious if they have.

First published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, 1973, and then in Fireflood, Victor Gollancz, 1980