Tokyo Pearl by Teresa Plana

I’ve got grandma’s hands, long and thick-veined, fingers knotty like redwood, stuffed in the back of my underwear drawer. Every morning I look at her prong-set ring, her nails pearly like an oil spill. When I pull out my least favorite bra, it is covered in fish scales of her chipped polish.

Mom visits on Sundays. After pancake lunch and Gin Rummy, we take turns putting the hands on. We press them lightly to our cheeks. We pat each other’s tilted heads. We say words the hands never heard. Come here, honey. Such a beautiful, beautiful girl.

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TERESA PLANA — Teresa is an aid worker based in Paris, where she thinks about books, croissants and humanitarian aid. Her work has appeared in Hobart, Gulf Stream and PRISM International. She is a reader at Uncharted Mag. Find her on Twitter @malaidea.

Art by DAEGAN LUNSFORD — Daegan is a multidisciplinary artist living in Canada. He works in photography, gouache painting, and printmaking with lino in a traditional woodcut style. His art focuses on delight, nostalgia, Americana and the Southern Gothic. Instagram: @daeganlunsfordofficial.