The River Pearl - Stories from my Left Pocket

Karel's girlfriend's older brother loomed as the Great War's veteran. Count Otakar, scarred and proud. A man of imposing stature. And, just like his sister Iveta, of...something else. Enter the world where the suitor's suitability swims or sinks on the whim of a Czech river's magic. For this ancient river vets or rejects every new member of the family going back for generations. This magical realism story takes place in Czechoslovakia in the time of the Roaring Twenties of the last century.
In a world filled with technology, hidden magic still holds its sway. This story, first printed in the Heart's Kiss Magazine, also appears in the "Stories From My Left Pocket" collection by Olivette Devaux.