Story Excerpts

That Far, Uncharted Ocean
by Auston Habershaw

It was unclear why I was going. At first I thought it was some top secret thing—something above my clearance as an officer in the coast guard. Later, I’d figured out that nobody knew. The navy and air force brass were pissed off every time they saw me at a briefing. I knew that look: what’s this puddle pirate doing here? Couldn’t we find a competent officer in any other branch? I think behind the scenes they were railing against space command and those guys from the State Department about it, but they stood firm. Lieutenant Commander Amos Tambly USCG was the guy they wanted, the guy they needed to make First Contact. READ MORE

 

A Short Future History of Whales
by Jenny Williams

#Phoebe
Today the obstetrician informed me that you are approximately five and a half inches across—the size of a large avocado, she pointed out, a comparison that makes me almost as squeamish as morning sickness. Why would I want to think of you as something to spread on toast? I prefer knowing that you are only slightly smaller than the eye of a blue whale, and you, too, are developing your senses underwater. READ MORE