Issue 6 | Refuge

Here, in 100 words or fewer, writers make quick work of compelling true stories, in the lead up to Multiplicity’s 2025 Spring/Summer issue, REFUGE.

Ritual

by Judithann Walz

Amidst the hum of my new kitchen, a meaty hambone sits in a crockpot with split peas, rosemary, garlic, a bay leaf, and chopped carrots.

Marriage still young, invites heat through time.

I submerge the medley in six cups of chicken broth, set it to simmer, and open my book.

Soon, the story on the page competes with the smokiness of hambone and subtle hints of cinnamon.

When I lift the lid, I see how heat through time has transformed these disparate ingredients into a velvety cohesion.

My husband picks up the ladle and kisses me.

---

About the Writer

---