The heads of state sat silently in a conference room, exhausted from the rounds of negotiations and proposals for a viable course of action. Their leaders had demanded answers and solutions to this crisis that now consumed humanity’s thoughts. If the most brilliant minds in science, technology, and social science could not find a way, … Read more
The first time Sabrina Hill downloaded a dating app, she was forty-eight and freshly divorced, still full of hope, still believing in the power of good lashes and a strong Wi-Fi signal. The first time she deleted a dating app, she was forty-eight and three-quarters, barefoot in her kitchen, watching a grown-ass man in a … Read more
The ocean had swallowed everything. Slowly, year after year, like a mouth taking small bites until the world above was just a myth, a faded memory. She lived in what was once an agricultural research dome, buried beneath layers of algae and coral bloom. The dome’s lights still flickered, powered by an old hydro-cell that … Read more
I set the stack of papers on my desk. Each sheet listed the diagnosis of a patient; my brain lingered over each, committing them to memory. “Joe Forest: small laceration lining his heart. Minsy Daylor: Large cut across her back.” I closed my eyes and imagined each procedure in my mind before glancing over at … Read more
This story contains sensitive content CW: Sexual content The taste hit first—bitter kola nut crushed between the back teeth. Dry, tannic, grounding. Tashnia sat at the edge of the couch with the shell tucked in her cheek, the earthy flavor sharp on her tongue as she listened to the slow sizzle of incense coiling … Read more