Old-Fashioned Girl
"So Jeynce and Carr are getting married in three months."
Ernest was projecting on the top of the decorative bridge, tossing tiny sticks into the flowing water. They'd chosen an ancient Japanese theme for this afternoon, and he hoped that Ilyah found it relaxing, because Ernest was bored by ...
Forty Days
“She likes the rain,†Ms. Jones explained to her neighbor when the woman called in a panic, yelling that Xue had spent the last six hours sprawled across the top of the house ‘looking like a half-drowned corpse.’ She scowled at the shrill, busybody voice, but saved her choice words ...
The Sky is Full of Diamonds
Jupiter pulled on her wrist, dragging her behind the shed. It was right after evening prayer, and the sky was turning bright orange and deep purple. He kissed her like he had seen his parents do, putting his tongue in her mouth, wiggling it around. She backed away from him, giggling.
...
No Regret
“We’re sorry, but the tissue damage is irreparable. It’s spreading. You’ll start to feel the pain in a few days, then, nothing at all.†The silence in the room gave way to a gentle sigh from Russ, whose eyes looked up at the Doc with longing.
“Doc, what’s my time?†he barely ...
Veracity
"Are you sure?"
Lena bit her lip and nodded. "Yes. Very sure." Her voice was quiet but strong. She needed this.
The counselor nodded, looking down at her clipboard as she checked off items. "All right. I've noted your reasoning. The records will be sealed, of course, after the procedure is ...
The Nightmare Sword
Sunset Lake made Mike nervous, which was something that hadn’t happened since he came home from the war. Sunset Lake was a nice place; lots of natural light, pretty gardens and a big dining room with stretched white tablecloths. Still, all the old people made Mike feel uneasy. Cosmetically, ...
Hemosapiens
There was a time when food could be remembered; a time when you could lick your lips and recall the sweet sting of dehydrated packaged delights. Too bad those days don’t exist anymore. Days like that leave you when the thirst takes over.
Travel has just about stopped by now. No one comes ...
The Contract
My brothers made me lay on my stomach, my bare back exposed to their brushes. We are a family of artists; my brothers make a fine design. My father, his fingers stained with ink, watched them work, his face warped in a scowl.
“She may not come.†warned my father. “She is the weakest of ...
She is an iLand
The bud blossomed into her ear, its hairlike tendrils snaking towards her eardrum where they fanned out into electric petals, sensors cool against her hot skin. The soft thud reminded Meredith of being submerged, and in a way, she was: holding her breath against the summer rush hour stench of ...
Devotion For Mechanics
"I knew the Chief went to Japan, I just didn't know he picked up a new wife," Bedford said. Bedford removed her welding mask and wiped the sweat from her face with an oily rag. She adjusted herself in the crook of the mecha's kneecap, letting her repair work cool.
"Pretty too," Armijo said. ...
Conquest
Palkas' autograph line had finally dwindled to nothing. They'd capped the line two hours ago and now, at last, the final gawkers and fans were being escorted out of the building. With a sigh and a stretch, Palkas stood and worked the kinks out of his neck. Signing autographs, while less taxing ...
Only the Poor Forget
For the ninth time today, Dyson glanced up from sweeping the facilities floors. He knew it was the ninth, because he'd been watching his bank account shrink with every confused teen who walked by, every school field trip who waltzed in and every curious observer who thought he could lend a ...
In The Black Moriah's Shadow
The restaurant still sold wine from when the meteor struck. The very year. Abigail said she could taste ash in every sip, though that didn't stop her from drinking. I swirled my glass, looking for bits that might be floating about in the cold liquid, fragments of catastrophe sealed by glass ...
Burn
Today is an unofficial public holiday. Those people that can take a day off work do so, those that can't call in sick. Today is The Burn. I don't know who started the tradition (some people say that it was a group of Canadian activists, other claim that it was a collation of South African ...
Pragmatist
Jergan loved ships. Ever since he was a little mite he'd loved them, watched them, lusted over them--it was only natural that he become a pilot. He'd been a dock worker for years as a teenager, hauling and stacking crates, recalibrating spanners, and bugging any captains he could get a word ...
Wikishine
"You just need to get your priorities in order," Pern said as he plunked the ripe wikifruit onto the table. Courtney watched with dismay, her eyes wide as she watched the young man end drive a long knife through the product of her months of gardening. "Food is all fine and good, but we ...
Fire
There was frost on the window. It was supposed to be summer, but since the last conflict began, every season had been extended. A fleet of enemy carriers lay still in orbit just outside of normal battalion fire, visible through the large viewscreen window, but they did not move. General Dana ...
Hoarding Colored Rags
I remember your touch, your taste, the way your mouth curled slightly when you said my name. Everything about you that made me happy, I've copied and cached. I can call it up with a thought, or a few key strokes if it's unusual. The odd high note your voice lilted into when you laughed at ...
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