Stars Don't Dream
Novelette 11,040 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"April, Mawlamyine. The Shepherd leads her flock through a city half overgrown with weeds. Weeds overwhelm the railway bridge, covering its deck. The pink wood sorrel has taken root in the road’s cracked flower beds, depending on the lay of the terrain to fend off the twin assaults of dog’s-tail grass and chicken feet grass."
Content warnings 1
death
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.