Dragonsoul by Mariah Blackhorse – The dragons used to come for our Naming Day Feasts. They oversaw the welcoming of each returned human soul into the circle of community.
The Persistence of Memory by William Orem – Must become used to reckoning the passage of days now without any sun. Elijah Blood maintains its own endogenous rhythm, which surprised me until I snuck down into an access hull and found what looks like grafted biological engineering.
T-Minus by Theodore Kanbe – The warship appeared on the viewscreen, two red points of light blossomed across its hull, and the captain slowed time with a button.
Strength in Numbers by Madeline Mora-Summonte – Jordie talks to the spiders. Now that he lives with Pappy, they’re his only friends. Herds of them drift through the backyard. Some scatter and scuttle away while others settle, hunkering down like grazing livestock.
Dying, And Other Problems by Myra Sherman – Sorrow pressed Ninni’s chest. Traveled to her abdomen, exacerbated the slight pain that so far was the only sign of her disease. She curled into a ball, and put a pillow over her head, trying to recapture the dream she couldn’t remember.
The Shuttle Sleeps Alone Tonight by Scott Lee Williams – The leather-clad flask, a retirement gift, now empty, lay tipped over on the stand beside the chair. A single lamp cast a small, warm pool of light. These things, a television and a bed, made up everything worth mentioning in the room. He’d turned the TV off after the evening news had ruined his mood, and now he sat, frowning at nothing, lost in thought.
Familiarity by Matt Paczkowski – Richard’s shaky hand struggled to place the change in his pocket. He missed the old days, when a waitress would have the decency to add the milk and sugar herself. None of this barista nonsense.
Devilfish Review 