Sweat made my clothes stick. I finally found him in the greenhouse. "Need help?" he said... unsure. I slogged through muddy thoughts; bath, dinner- produce still low; new fertiliser, new supplier? He waited, annoyed. "I'm fine," I said, words too stuck. I left. That night I dreamed of tangible thoughts, tendrils reaching, seeking connection. He... Continue Reading →
New Worlds
Across the water, something glistened. Had he finally found it? Racing, stumbling through waves, he slipped. The water dragged him under. He kicked and thrashed for an age. Ever sinking, tired now. He'd searched for nothing. A voice, otherworldly and infinite, reached him beneath the river's roar, "fight, human." One final moment, through agony, he... Continue Reading →
Purpose Rewritten
The alien looked ugly, dying in the dirt, trying to remain human. It looked like her when she screamed about my room, again. Face twisting like I wasn't supposed to be there. I screamed back, she slapped me. I laughed. Actually, she looked like it when I left. Ugly and dying. I found the alien... Continue Reading →
What’s the Chance?
"Black's not moving-" he cried. "It's okay baby, I'll fix it," she said. She'd chosen Black. She should've seen the signs. Never again. No more shortcuts. She'd tried other horses, same dark fur, tall, friendly, but he always knew. Her team arrived, collected Black and she returned to work, tireless and determined. If anyone could... Continue Reading →
Debt to be Paid
Radiation reached his skin through UV-resistant clothes. "Four-hundred-thirteen billion credits for today's contestant! If he survives..." A hidden crowd cheered. He retrieved his only permitted secret ingredient with a blistered hand. "What's today's contestant chosen for us?" Blinding light. The crowd gasped. The glare receded and he staggered forward, balancing a platter, alien delicacies piled... Continue Reading →
August 2021
Supporting Diverse Writers Zoraida Córdova Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels and short stories, including the Brooklyn Brujas series, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate, and The Inheritance of OrquÃdea Divina. She also writes romance novels as Zoey Castile. In addition to writing novels, she serves on... Continue Reading →
Essentiality Remains
My restless body sleeps, mind seeking. Endless doorways. Some lead nowhere, others to places I cannot comprehend. There's just one I search for. Within, contains a source of darkness. I must eliminate it. I wander twisting corridors, labyrinthine in nature, as all minds are. There, ahead. The darkness, flickering and tremulous. I follow, my heart... Continue Reading →
Change
The old cattle shed sat three streets from her no-longer small childhood home. The house's presence hung heavy over town now, sprawling in its decadence and greed. Perhaps they hadn't changed. A droid greeted her, lead her inside to a room bright with filtered sunlight and untouched delicacies. The woman that entered both was and... Continue Reading →
Visitor
The grounds shuddered. The air hummed along with urgency. Something was happening. Its kin at rest, a lone creature emerged from its dwelling, peering out toward the meeting line of void and land. The hum grew violent as the void tore open with a flash. From the tear, a being of another kind tumbled into... Continue Reading →