I don't consciously do symbolism in my stories.  I always got super pissed off in school English when *I* wanted to learn how to write a novel, and they kept assigning things where I had to pick apart stories for something I wasn't sure was even there.

That said, as I got older I do understand much more about symbolism than I did then.  Here's what comes to mind on the ones you listed:

1. the Scythe - My first thought is death, grim reaper.  My secondary thought is the scythe's traditional purpose...harvest.  But it's a distant second, since as a reader I'm much more familiar with it as a symbol of death, and not harvest and life, since we don't tend to use scythes in modern farming these days.  Scythes also have a dramatic shape.
2. A centipede - Ew!  Squish it!  I wouldn't really assign much meaning by default to a centipede.  Doesn't mean it's there, just that I wouldn't pick up on it.
3. a spinal cord, - Major component of the nervous system of vertebrates, second only to the brain.  The spinal cord or "backbone" of something symbolizes the essential part or center of an organism or organization.
4. Moths - Creatures of the night.  Creatures that take up residence in empty places.  In the case of Luna Moths, have a relationship with the moon.  The default idea is that moths are ugly, but frankly I personally think some types are as beautiful or more beautiful than butterflies.  Moths can also stand for transformation, as a butterfly can, but probably a less appealing one.

The way i wrote it in one of the (many) stories i wrote (and never finished), was give little bits and pieces, then about three chapters in, the character got arrested and the interrogator went through his very long rap sheet and did the whole physical description. Probably not gonna work in most stories, but it fit pretty well in mine.

I would advise against POV shifting, especially in a short story.  Its hard enough to connect with a character, when you are stuck with such a small canvas the problem compounds.  A novel on the other hand is much better for multiple POV's however I have to warn you that most people prefer to have one 'main' character.  You can get away with multiple points of views or (POV) but you should be very careful.

That said don't listen to me, write it out and then show it to people.  The audience will let you know.  And the first members of your audience are your beta readers.




The Deposed King