“The Sigh of a Shrieking Puff” Now Available

My story features on the latest edition of Del Sol SFF Review

“The Sigh of a Shrieking Puff” follows the misadventures of a space explorer, called a ‘Visitor’, who is tasked with searching planets and moons for evidence of life, and cataloguing them.

I was heavily inspired by the video game No Man’s Sky, wherein players explore a fictional universe and, among other activities, can earn credits for their discoveries. It led me to wonder - if humans were paid just for finding a species, how quickly would they become nothing more than a commodity to us? (Even more so than present day.)

And then I began to wonder; what would happen if a Visitor, high on success and greedy for more, would stumble into the wrong habitat…

Excerpt:

I take my handheld scanner and lift my prize up to the sensor, waiting for the readings to tick on the screen. The blob pulses at me, an eye swivelling in a slimy socket.

—Specimen Scanned— 

A hologram of the critter hovers in front of me, a faithful reproduction, detailed and crisp.

—Record Specimen Name—

Sol's sake. How can they expect me to think up a unique name for every stray I find? 

Read ‘The Sigh of a Shrieking Puff’ for free on Del Sol SFF Review.