Ahmed was starting to feel lost. It was as though he’d entered some strange parallel dimension, where the words all sound the same but have completely different meanings.
“When did we go from being a university to a live-action dystopian role-play?”
He’s still dancing away happily even as the doll kicks its feet in perfect unison with his. Apa watches them both, her heart now sowing fields without a thought for the reaping.
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With that, he set to work, first blowing into the black balloon, then twisting and worrying at it with his callused hands as it grew, taking the shape of a bird. Except it wasn’t just a balloon bird, it was a real bird, a majestic black swan, feathers, beak and all.
Reprinted and in podcast form at Podcastle
After the darkness comes the light. And with the light come the littlings.