Ukrainian Eggs: Magic Realism

They decorated the eggs with hot wax and dyes they'd made themselves, enriched with beet juice and the blood of their firstborn daughters, who pricked their fingers and bit their lips against the pain as they squeezed their bloodline into the dye. They scratched designs for prosperity and good harvests and happy marriages and the blessings of the Holy Spirit onto the eggs. They let the eggs rest overnight to dry the ink perfectly. Then they took their needles and drilled holes in the eggs, placed their lips over the holes, and sucked the rich yolks out. That was the most difficult time. There was always the danger that they would have to absorb a truly--

Inspiration: From the dictionary, the name of some Ukrainian town.
Story Potential: High.
Notes: Somehow work in that this is why the women bloom and fade so fast, sometimes. But neat. I haven't seen something quite like this, and there's some rich traditions that could be used around the Ukraine and Russia and they've not been used overmuch for a while.

God Dies In You - Story Placeholder

Hell is the absence of God. That spark of light and hope and decency dies. Summer camp tries to survive. Mused by Phil. See full story notes in "Ideas-At Bat" file.