Cast of Wonders 527: Both Hope and Breath (https://www.castofwonders.org/2023/02/cast-of-wonders-527-both-hope-and-breath/)
• Author: Riley Tao (https://www.castofwonders.org/people/riley-tao/)
• Narrator: Hugo Jackson (https://www.castofwonders.org/people/hugo-jackson/)
• Host: Katherine Inskip (https://www.castofwonders.org/people/katherine-inskip-2/)
• Audio Producer: Jeremy Carter (http://www.castofwonders.org/people/jeremy-carter/)
"Both Hope and Breath" is a Cast of Wonders original.
Click here to listen to Episode 527 (http://traffic.libsyn.com/castofwonders/Wonders527.mp3)
Content Warning: Transphobia, misgendering, rejection
It’s perfectly normal for breath to fog up mirrors. Everyone knows that. For most of my childhood, I never thought twice about the way mirrors went cloudy when I drew near. The only time it really mattered was when Dad flew me to school; even well into my upper school years, I never could sit in the front seat without frosting over the rearview mirrors, much less pilot an aerostat myself.
In my senior year at Ettwood Upper, I was the only person still flown to school by a parent–and Dad never let me forget it.
Tags: families, flying cars, friendship, gender identity, high school, Hugo Jackson, Jeremy Carter, Katherine Inskip, LGBTQ, magic, prejudice, Riley Tao, shopping, steampunk, teen protagonist, transphobia, young adult fiction, young author