CHOSEN

My life hinges on a man choosing me as his wife before sunset on the summer solstice.

Every girl vies to be chosen. It’s a day that’s haunted me since I was old enough to understand it will never be me. I was 12, with nothing but the clothes on my back, when I entered the women’s house. For the past three years, I’ve stood on the edge of the choosing field, hoping to attract a suitor before my time runs out.

This is my last year to entice a man and become his wife, or else I’m dead.