An underground tunnel winds. Everyone comes to Lost from above in the woods where they explored without maps. They were new at the job. They defended on a slow incline or fell suddenly into a hole and awoke topsy turvy in narrow soil filled passageways. Lost pulses with life. The tunnels expand and contract to accommodate the size of those who stumble in. Some leave, most do not. The denizens of Lost are caterpillars who hatch into iridescent moths. Oft mistaken for fairies, they provide the only light.
“You’ll never find your way out,” they whisper.
They eat hallucinogenic fungus. Many varieties grow in the moist tunnels.
People wander through the endless winding tunnels of Lost. The caterpillars and moths know where the passageways up to the light are. They simply mind their own business and do not bother to show anyone the way.
"Why would anyone wish to go out?" they mutter. They don’t understand and do not try to.
Why it springs to mind: You'll never look at an ice cube the same way again. Where read: In the 2014 Hugo award-winning Lightspeed Magazine , August. Length: 5,194 words Summary: A woman has an ice cube for a soul. Memorable: How the story invites us to think about the shape of our soul, how it (or our perception of it) influences us and how it changes. What ordinary every day object would your soul be? A silver spoon, a beech stick? A great party conversation starter, this. Quote: “All life is an experiment." Notable: The protagonist Rina is an avid reader (always a good choice). Pairs well with: T.S. Elliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay Origin: The story was written in 24 hours based on a writing prompt. (See Author Spotlight: Ken Liu ) About the author: Ken Liu’s debut novel, The Grace of Kings , the first in a fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, is due out from Saga Press ( a new Simon & Schuster imprint ) in 2015.
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