Do You See What I See?
Science fiction. Three short stories.
"Do You See What I See?" - Sometimes the only way to view life is through a child’s app.
"Regrowth" - A woman recounts an ecological fairy tale to her granddaughter.
"New Soup" -Two friends discuss the appearance of a strange flower.
Excerpt
(From "Do You See What I See?")
“ANYTHING NEW?”
Juan Gonzales ignored the question as he adjusted the C14’s equatorial mount, knowing that even with its 14” aperture and f/11 focal ratio, he’d be lucky to see the moon in this weather. His favourite eyepiece—the 31mm Nagler—promised little more in the snow-blind daylight.
But he was glad to see his little wise woman interacting with the other children outside, directing them to help her group the snow into high, ordered rows. In a blur of neon colours, both children and adults milled around the observatory, essentially a room in the local community centre dedicated to all things astronomical. Amid the laughter, he could see that some were couples, doing things together, having fun. Sudden memories of his wife Rosa had him quickly turning back to the telescope.
Looking at the small, dark, reclusive man working beside him, Barry Jameson tried once more to make conversation. “Shame about the others not being able to make it.”
But with the astronomical world in a frenzy, and the rest of St. Elthan’s Society currently snowed in, ‘tragedy’ would have been a more accurate term. No one knew why the Orionid shower from October had rolled over into December, or why meteor sightings had increased by 180%.
Or why, three days ago, all activity had winked out before anyone could pinpoint its radiant.