The sky is orange,
The elementary school called,
Cancelling iPad distribution,
So the iPads don’t get covered in ash,
Like everything else is.
This is fine.
Veins of Black, Dust of Gold
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, September 2018
Am-lei had been growing stiffer by the day. Her long, green, tubular body was usually lithe and flexible. She could twist her way through the grav-bubble obstacle courses on the Crossroads Space Station playground better than any Heffen children in her class. Their canine bodies couldn’t bend in half, twist into a pretzel, or grab onto an extra jungle gym bar with a sixth pair of arms. Continue reading “Veins of Black, Dust of Gold”
Roger Rabbit Dreams
We watched Roger Rabbit yesterday, and this morning the neighbors are doing some sort of work on their house involving hammering.
My half-asleep brain kept hearing the hammering as “shave and a haircut” and was convinced they were trying to lure out fugitive toons.
Excerpt from Purride and Purrejudice
by Mary E. Lowd
A Deep Sky Anchor Original, September 2020
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a cat in sight of an empty box, must sit in it.
However little known the feelings or views of such a cat may be on their first encountering an empty box, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of all good cat owners, that all empty boxes are considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their cats.
“My dear Mx. Kitty,” said the dog to her one day, “have you heard that the Amazon truck has arrived at last?” Continue reading “Excerpt from Purride and Purrejudice”
Hypercrystal Wish
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, September 2018
Jeko coiled her long nose around one of the glittering hypercrystals. They weren’t really hypercrystals. Just shiny bits of polished, angular glass. Spiky, colorful shapes. But Jeko liked to pretend. She liked to pretend that they were hypercrystals and could grant wishes. She picked up a green star-shaped one and rolled it carefully across her desk with a gentle toss from her prehensile nose. Continue reading “Hypercrystal Wish”
Millions of Kittens
A few weeks ago, a friend observed that I’d been talking about getting a kitten as long as they’d known me, so they’re glad I finally got one. This struck me as odd.
See… I always talk about getting a kitten. Continue reading “Millions of Kittens”
The Truman Show
The seven-year-old’s reaction to The Truman Show: “How long would it take to build a dome like that? Months?”
Me: “At least.” Continue reading “The Truman Show”
Verify Me
This will not make sense if you’re not familiar with the movie Sneakers, but…
Every time a website asks me to identify all the squares with crosswalks and then click “verify,” I think: “My ability to identify crosswalks is my passport. Verify me.”
Being Precious About Words
The very first story I ever had published, when I picked up the physical anthology & flipped through, I noticed one of my characters “tipped his hat.”
Implying he was wearing a hat. Which made no sense for the character & setting. But it’s what I wrote. So there the words were.
Talking to “Cats”
Thirteen-year-old, planning to bake a cake: “Do you want cake?”
Seven-year-old: “Meow!”
Thirteen: “Oh, you don’t want cake…”
Seven, exasperated: “Do you not understand cat-language?!?”