This isn’t a short story, not exactly.  But I liked the character’s voice, and who she becomes.

My land is a distant one, where animals are gods and women wear a thousand colors when they marry. My father and brothers sent me off in my thousand colors when I was twelve, a twiggy thing with more interest in girly games than the old man who shared my bed that first night. I didn’t know at the time who he was. Nor did I know what he would make me.

Nice to meet you. I am Shim, the queen of the realm – my husband is dead, and I rule this distant land, where animals are gods and a thousand colors are all it takes to leave your childhood behind.