Escape Pod 936: Old People’s Folly (Part 2 of 2)
By Nora Schinnerl (...Continued from Part 1) Kite was still curled into a bundle of blankets in front of the stove when Setti woke. The old woman sniffed, torn between surprise and annoyance. She'd have figured him for a quitter, sneaking out before dawn to escape the work. That's what she'd have done when she was his age. Not like Setti was in any shape to chase after him. But he'd stayed and now she was stuck with him, just like she was stuck with her ghost. There was a thought to cheer her…
Content warnings 2
child-abusehomophobia
Quasar links out; the story lives on Escape Pod, where the author gets the click.