In “The Blood Serpent”, three young women—Adeline, Juliette, and Charlotte—navigate a world of cruelty and repression in 19th-century Paris. Adeline, the abused daughter of a morally bankrupt magistrate, Juliette, a sharp-witted scholar, and Charlotte, a timid soul tormented by her mother’s atrocities, bond over their shared homosexuality and defiance of societal norms. Their fragile camaraderie culminates in a nightmarish trap at the Villemarette Suites, where they are imprisoned in a sealed dining chamber by forces tied to Adeline’s father. Stripped of hope, the trio confronts their grim fate through philosophical discourse, a symbolic same-sex marriage, and ultimately, mutual suicide. The aftermath leaves investigators baffled, with no clear perpetrator, underscoring the systemic oppression that doomed the women. A harrowing tale of trauma, rebellion, and tragic solidarity. --- **“The Blood Serpent” © 2021 by Thomas Vancura is licensed under [CC BY-NC 4. 0](https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/4. 0/). **