Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud "Notch: The Lost Years" by Patricia Caspers — a fiction story about a woman named Alicia who has spent her whole life hiding a secret she's carried since infancy: a presence inside her body she calls Notchie, a turtle who has been whispering the word "girlfriend" since before Alicia knew what it meant. Part coming-of-age, part body story, part queer love story told through the language of shame and discovery, this is a tale about what happens when you meet someone who makes hiding feel worse than being seen.

Originally published April 2nd and released in audio this week alongside our second poetry issue, "The Body Keeps the Score." You can find the written version right here.

About the Author

Patricia Caspers is the founding EIC of West Trestle Review. She is the author of three full-length poetry collections, most recently The Most Kissed Woman in the World. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College (RIP), and her award-winning work has appeared widely in journals such as Ploughshares, Pithead Chapel, and Cimarron. She is a Unitarian Universalist. 
Tip the author to support them and say thanks
Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits
Author: Patricia Caspers
Narrator: Jon Negroni
Editor: Natalia Emmons
Artwork: Jon Negroni
Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud "Notch: The Lost Years" by Patricia Caspers &mdash; a fiction story about a woman named Alicia who has spent her whole life hiding a secret she's carried since infancy: a presence inside her body she calls Notchie, a turtle who has been whispering the word "girlfriend" since before Alicia knew what it meant. Part coming-of-age, part body story, part queer love story told through the language of shame and discovery, this is a tale about what happens when you meet someone who makes hiding feel worse than being seen.
Originally published April 2nd and released in audio this week alongside our second poetry issue, "The Body Keeps the Score."&nbsp;You can find the written version <a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com/the-closure-of-st-jeromes-home-for-foundlings/">right here.</a>
About the Author
Patricia Caspers is the founding EIC of&nbsp;West Trestle Review.&nbsp;She is the author of three full-length poetry collections, most recently&nbsp;The Most Kissed Woman in the World.&nbsp;She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College (RIP), and her award-winning work has appeared widely in journals such as&nbsp;Ploughshares, Pithead Chapel, and&nbsp;Cimarron.&nbsp;She is a Unitarian Universalist.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com/notch-the-lost-years/#/portal/support">Tip the author</a> to support them and say thanks</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com">Explore our full archive</a> of stories and poetry.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com/submit-to-cetera/">Submit your own story</a> to be featured on Cetera.</li>
</ul>
About Cetera Magazine
We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.
Credits
<ul>
<li>Author: Patricia Caspers</li>
<li>Narrator: Jon Negroni</li>
<li>Editor: Natalia Emmons</li>
<li>Artwork: Jon Negroni</li>
<li>Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0&nbsp;<a href="Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></li>
</ul>
Share This Episode If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

In a world that's always on fire, Thank God For Movies. Formerly known as Cinemaholics, join film critics Jon Negroni and Will Ashton as they discuss the latest films coming to theaters or streaming online.

In a world that's always on fire, Thank God For Movies. Formerly known as Cinemaholics, join film critics Jon Negroni and Will Ashton as they discuss the latest films coming to theaters or streaming online.