Pollen
ShortStory 5,330 words Recommended by 3 award/anthology sources
"Even after Uncle Sulim died, he remained occasionally intolerable. “Did you check the pollen count inside the base?” “Yes, it’s at the higher limit of the acceptable range. Within two basis points.” Nika’s response was almost devoid of irritation. “I’ll activate the filters in two hours.”
Content warnings 2
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.