Urbantasy Stories

The gold scissors in Keke's window haven't moved in three years. Not since "the incident" that made her shut down the only magic salon in Montego Bay. At 3:03 AM, they snip themselves open. The woman who walks in has pink braids, a black trench coat dripping rain, and a request that breaks every rule Keke's granny taught her: Braid my dead sister's spirit into my hair. In Keke's family, gold thread + braids = soul magic. You can trap a ghost, trade a life, even cheat death. But magic always wants payment. And the price is usually blood. When Keke looks in the mirror, the dead sister is already there. White eyes. Smiling. Standing right behind her. The client lied. This isn't about saving her sister. It's about feeding Keke to her. But the black comb chooses. The scissors fall. And the woman with the pink braids isn't who she says she is. She's when she is. To survive the night, Keke has to learn the one braid her granny never taught her: How to let go.