‘Cryptozoology’
— Hannah Cohen
In my excitement of reading this piece in one of my favorite online journals, I initially read Dillard’s short flash as a sort of prose poem. Re-reading it again, I can see why this 9 sentence story has such poetic qualities. ‘Cryptozoology’ contains a strong, point-blank opening of “Father was a hunter of mythical beasts”, immediately putting into focus the perspective of the child. Dillard imbues quality over quantity when it comes to humorous domestic elements, from the mother “brandish[ing] a frying pan…in the endearing way that suggests murder” to keeping a “Yeti rug in the den”. Here, the fantasy element doesn’t take away from the language—if anything, I find myself wishing for the bogeyman in my closet and the werewolf under my bed. I’m wishing for all those magical and mistaken creatures of my childhood to still be alive.