I’ve continued writing tons more very short stories this month! These I mostly shared on the hashtags #vss365, #satsplat, and #scififri.

Silver Hair

She had silver hair she kept in tight braids during the day. But at night, when she told me stories, she let her hair flow down like a winter river. In the darkest times, I dream about her, but now her eyes are stars and her hair flows across the sky.

Leaving

She stared out the orphanage window, imagining a glittering life elsewhere. She told the other children about the dances she'd attend, the men who'd love her. It all came true. She came back to the orphanage pregnant.

"Stay, little one," she whispered to her baby, dying.

Not a Scratch

He left her without a single visible scar, not even a scratch. Just the memories, bright and brutal and horrible, burned into her retinas. And the loss--a gaping hole in her life where her friends had been, the love and support she'd needed when she left him.

Fly

"An unlikely astronaut," the teacher had muttered under his breath as Lina presented her project. All he saw was her chair. Now she floated above the ship's console, staring out the viewport. A verdant new world. She couldn't walk--but she could fly.

Equanimity

She faced her husband's death with equanimity, even when they made her identify his body. Stay strong for the children, she thought, clutching a rosary to her chest. But then they wheeled out her son.

Soul

"Do you have a soul? Can a true psyche emerge from gears and nano fibers?" he asked, stroking her face and kissing her. She adjusted her automatic responses to prevent cringing.

"I have a soul, Senator. It belongs to you, if you support the Digital Citizen Act."

Condor System

The Condor system was a worldwide project, a way to protect the entire planet from meteors, comets, all extinction level events from space. But someone on the project betrayed us. The plasma guns incinerated DC and Moscow.

Let us help, China said. For a price.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my very short stories, check out my collection of science fiction short stories, Sapience, or my new book, Saints and Curses. And remember to subscribe to my newsletter!