Stone walls divide barren, grey Excluded into small sections. Seen from above Excluded looks like a jagged, slate mosaic. Each farmer in Excluded grows a subsistence crop on his own soil and does not try to sell it. No one shares. The sullen Excluded keep to themselves. No one wishes to visit, but many must pass through Excluded on their way to better places. The fishermen of Excluded sail on small ships each casting his own nets. The seas are barren, the land miserly. The best fed in Excluded live near the fruit trees which grow limbs over Excluded, but have roots in other lands. They pick fruits from these trees and bake pies and tarts and nearly feel satisfied.
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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