I have edited out some formatting snafus and Xed out the name of the responder:
Thank you for your submission to the journal. Unfortunately, it does not meet our needs. While apparently the subjects of the story are non-humans, that in and of itself does not make it a speculative story. All that is really presented here is another awkward teen angst moment decorated with a speculative motif. The narrator is annoying in a rather emo sort of way, and the constant interruption of the story with the "thump" "bend" nonsense is distracting window dressing that does nothing to build the scene or move the narrative. At the end, all we have here is a wallflower that got invited to dance. Good for her, but not really an engaging story.
Sincerely,
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