Hello!
It's the author here!
Thank you so much for reading this short story, I'm sorry it couldn't be longer, but maybe one day I could turn it into a novel...
I am proud to say it had 1903 words (see what I did there?).
I'm sad that this story didn't have a happy ending, but not all stories do.
Mildred probably moved on and found a husband.
Mary may never have rebounded from the trauma.
Who knows?
The inspiration for this came from two inspiring people:
¬Nikora Hune Haora - 1929 Maori man to dress a woman (Story - 'Sexuality and the stories of indigenous people', by Jessica Hutchings, Clive Aspin)
¬The case of the female bridegroom - Amy Maud Bock marries a woman (Story - 'New Zealand Geographic May/June 2019, The case of the female bridegroom)
Both very interesting stories.
This story was about how not every murderer is guilty and not every protagonist is considered a hero by all, that acceptance should be a given, not a right that you have to earn. There are hundreds of people (particularly those of the LGBT community or those of african heritage/dark skinned) that have been convicted of crimes they didn't commit because society has taught us that the only people with rights are straight white men who can decide other people's fate. Oops I'm going on a rant I'll stop.
In the time of Mary Allen, it was illegal to dress in clothes nor tailored for your gender.
'Laws criminalizing cross-dressing spread like wildfire around the United States in the mid-19th century. New York's, dating back to 1845, was one of the oldest. It declared it a crime to have your "face painted, discolored, covered, or concealed, or [be] otherwise disguised."'
If any of you were wondering why Mildred hadn't figured it out even though they were together for a while, it is probably because, ya know, 'premarital sex is a sin' etc, and back in those days courting was done at a 12 ft distance so as to remain civilised hehe
Ok anyway, I hope you enjoyed, feedback is welcome, have a great day!
From the author :)
YOU ARE READING
MASKED ~completed~
Narrativa StoricaA historical story about a young woman who is in love with another woman, but has to make sacrifices in order to be with her. A novelette / short story written by yours truly x
