To Helen
ShortStory 5,030 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"I am waiting for Helen on her fiftieth birthday. On the table, there’s a crystal drinking glass and a vase with rare orchids; I can’t tell if the flowers are genuine or not. Faint piano notes and a cold scent drift in the air. Beautiful men and women sit on white leather sofas, all appear to be in their twenties. I feel a little uneasy."
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.