Read the latest Science Fiction from Etherea Magazine
The Halophyte – by Katie McIvor
“When the dust from their lightweight desert boots had settled, Mano was still standing there. He wasn’t the only one: up and down the line, uncertain faces peered back at him…”
A Fairytale, Ending – by Marissa James
“The fairies couldn’t agree on how this Ever After began—perhaps a mirror was involved, perhaps a spindle; maybe a frog, possibly a shoe. Other folk supposed it was simply a matter of too many fairies getting involved in the first place. These things tended to be hard to keep track of.”
Tending to Echo – by Jane Brown
“5… 4… 3…”
Katie clenched her fists and glanced along the start line. The other groups of three, spaced fifty feet apart, stood eerily still. All fixated on the thick ten-foot-high bramble that would be their first obstacle. Beyond that was anyone’s guess in this hostile wilderness.
“… 2… 1 – The trial commences. Prove you are fit to be a parent. Twenty-four hours begins now,”
Karl, I Hope You Don’t Read This Letter – by Robert Bagnall
Karl,
I hope you don’t read this letter. I hope you just throw it away without opening it. I hope you know it’s me—you—that’s written it. And what it says.
But… if you’re reading this for what feels like the first time, then it means something’s gone wrong. Or, at least, not as right as it could. I only have a few minutes to scribble this note, so let me explain.
In Space No-One Can Hear You Clean – by Scott Steensma
I really didn’t I really didn’t want to be awake. I closed my eyes tightly and imagined I was curled up underneath crisp, tastefully coloured bedclothes with a slight smile on my face, the star of my own personal mattress commercial. I slowed my breathing, and was just edging a toe over the precipice of slumber when a sharp pain shot through my head. Ignoring it, I focused on convincing my body that really, it should leave me alone and go to sleep…
Inheritance – by Alexander Funk
Sally was staring at a bright green wall full of motivational quotes. Or were they company slogans? She was not quite sure. The place did not feel like the medical clinics she had been to before. The decorations were certainly top notch, and the waiting room oozed calmness and comfort. Bright colors, round corners…
This is How the Revolution Begins – by Aaron Emmel
IGAP, the starship’s AI, monitors me while I brush my teeth. It tells me that Jon, a friend and fellow officer, is in the shower. It times me while I eat breakfast. It announces my tasks for the day. When I take too long to leave the officers’ quarters, a beeping starts to follow me from every alarm node I pass. It grows louder and more insistent until I enter the passageway down to the command center…
The Nature of Things in Motion – by Marlan K Smith
I met the boy sometime after completing column 5526, a span of bridge that soared high over the tips of pine forests and granite ravines. It had been a particularly difficult and time-consuming project due to the lack of matter I had to work with. This section of landscape had been starved of building materials for some time, and it had been years since I had last encountered a supply conduit…
How We Survive – Ali Abbas
I drop the heavy device onto the table with a clank. The young woman opposite gives me a blank look, her shoulder-length brown hair swaying gently. The others have all moved on to basic courtesies; this one, the name tag on her overalls reads Oksana, hasn’t offered me a word in all this time, let alone introduce herself…