Flavours of a Memory
Mists lie over the craggy rocks just off the shore. Sea gulls cry, sea lions bark, kelp crunches underfoot. Cypress and sage bend in the breeze coming off the ocean. Purple wildflowers peek out from dry brown grass. A bent oak shelters crows. A peek into the secluded life of a tidepool: sea anemones, sea […]
Rewilding Indiana
I’m Joanna Appleseed, reseeding native gardens from above. Just a cloud chasing wind, transparent kites to gather the sun, furl them in before the storm. Light as a gull, composites and silk, shift and rise through the layers. The troposphere’s a 3D puzzle, navigation by wind on my cheek. Neutral buoyancy and clean electrons power […]
You Are My Endling
Joni and I got our first biomorph plasty together when we were sixteen. Small changes at first. Cosmetic over functional. Mom and Dad argued constantly, so I didn’t feel too badly that I was probably the final wedge to drive them apart. Dad supported me. He went on about how when he was young, kids […]
Shaping Lakes and Honeycakes
Melia stood upon the shores of the receding lake, shaping her tale for the meagre audience of children and elders. Storyshaping always came easier when there were more listeners, but this was her third attempt this moon cycle at reshaping the lake’s story, with little to show for her efforts; she couldn’t blame the others […]
Seeds, Temporarily in Their Bed of Lint
The puckering taste of lemon lingers in my memory. Bright, like the stars out my window. Distant for now, like them, too. Eight worlds. Eight worlds in nine standard years. But none of them perfect. Each star system has plenty of planets orbiting within, swirling in their gravity pools. Most of those are uninhabitable. My […]
The Longest Breath
Ayuko hadn’t spoken aloud since Mina brought her to Seven Palms nearly a month earlier. She was angry at her daughter for forcing her to leave Japan for Florida. At the same time, she resented Mina, her only child, for not making more frequent visits to the retirement home. Ayuko avoided interacting with the Seven […]
Sing the Phoenix to Flame
Once, Tena Na Tena had been certain when she sang. Injustice gathered within her, swirling tighter until it solidified into a beat, lyrics, melody. When it clicked into place, she let it out. It wasn’t as if she planned carefully, weighing the implications of her words or the mode of release. She knew right and […]
The Boggart of Campsite C47
Boggarts don’t generally pick up rubbish but Moulde has no choice today. Loosening tent pegs, pouring water on sleeping bags, opening cooler lids—nothing discourages this year’s campers. Like wild boars across Yorkshire moors, the bloody pillocks just keep marauding through the campgrounds of Alberta Western Provincial Park. What Moulde wouldn’t give to be back in […]
The Chrysalis
“You don’t actually believe all that do you?” “You’re such a baby!” “Caterpillars don’t become butterflies.” “The adults just switch them when you’re not looking, you idiot.” “Magic’s for babies.” “Leave her alone! You’ll ruin it for her.” “Maybe you’ll turn into a big smelly cockroach!” Loz tried to look away, but her cousins were […]
I Think That I Shall Never See
Good afternoon, fellow tree lovers, and welcome to the North American Biosphere Tree Museum. My name is Aliah—I’ll be your guide today. Step through the airlock and we’ll begin the tour. Please feel free to ask questions at any time. Our museum houses the most extensive collection of preproprietary tree species in the world. We […]
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