The Odyssey Problem
ShortStory 5,770 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"When the sparkling golden glow fades and my skin stops feeling like mites are crawling all over it, the Room is gone, and I am shivering in a vast bright chamber and strange people clad in orange, red, and blue pajamas are asking me how I am. I don’t know what to say. I feel lighter, and the air feels cleaner; I am giddy and frightened."
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.