A Salamander’s Wisdom by Rebecca Birch It didn’t hurt much, dying. A sharp, bitter taste when my teeth broke the red berry’s skin. Tingling on my tongue and the insides of my cheeks. A sudden tightness in my chest. No, dying didn’t hurt—not near as much as living while my daughter wasted away…
Peace in the Valley By Rebecca Birch The effort of walking to the open hatch of her rusted lifepod made Margaret’s body ache. Fighting a wave of dizziness, she gripped the edge. Sunlight broke over the mountains, illuminating the valley she’d inhabited for the last three years. The tart scent of the ubiquitous blue…
Adaptation by Jennifer R. Povey Elaine had been to plenty of crazy planets, but this one took the cake. For starters, it was in a binary system, and that always made for extra weirdness. Two suns overlapping each other in a way that kept night always short. The natives did not seem bothered by…
Phoenix, Fallen By Rebecca Birch The Phoenix Corporation complex perches atop a volcanic ridge overlooking the Pacific. Its vari-copper cladding catches the rising sun, turning the buildings to flame. I used to love to watch the building burn like its namesake, but today can think of nothing but Kokua, plummeting through the atmosphere, his…
