An e-zine about spaceships, aliens, science, memory, motherhood, magic, and cats.
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in The Rabbit Dies First, January 2019
The lights had gone out ten minutes ago. The sound of the air circulators had shut down too. Narchi didn’t know what was happening, but she was scared. Power shouldn’t shut down on a space station. Yet, she had to hold herself together. Her lapine roommates had left her babysitting nearly a dozen of their children. When she’d agreed, she hadn’t expected it to be in the dark. Continue reading “Black Out In Space”
I just read “Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light!” by Alice B. Sheldon (James Tiptree Jr.)… and oof.
What a beautiful, lyrical punch to the gut that calls to mind my dad lecturing me as a teen about how I couldn’t go out for a walk alone after dark.
Continue reading “Walking at Night”
The twelve-year-old to the six-year-old: “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I can’t read minds. You’re thinking mind reading is impossible. You’re thinking I’m lying to you.”
Six: “I was thinking about cookies.”
Inheritances should be a whole lot less of a thing. And Universal Basic Income should be a whole lot more of a thing. Continue reading “Stray Thoughts on Star Wars and New Years Eve”
The six-year-old has made New Year’s resolutions.
He has resolved to make me take him to the trampoline park and the wave pool. Continue reading “Parenting and Resolutions”
This is obvious, but sometimes obvious things need saying…
In Star Wars, the rebellion is antifa.
The good guys. The heroes. They’re antifa. Continue reading “Stray Thoughts While Rewatching More Star Wars”
My childhood was perfectly framed by the Star Wars original and prequel trilogies — I was taken to Return of the Jedi in the theatre at 10 months old and promptly fell sleep when Jabba came onscreen; Phantom Menace came out when I was a senior in high school. Continue reading “Star Wars”
Watching Phantom Menace when you’re the same age as Natalie Portman playing Padme: What is this nonsense? She’s a grown woman, and Anakin’s a baby; how could they possibly EVER be romantically involved?!!
Watching it 20 years later: They’re both tiny babies. Continue reading “Preparing for “Rise of Skywalker””
For all of his preaching patience to Luke, Yoda isn’t a very patient teacher.
Watch Luke’s face when he’s looking at Han in the first half of Empire Strikes Back — total adoration. Continue reading “Tidbits from Rewatching a Bunch of Star Wars”
We gave the six-year-old a scooter for Christmas. This seemed like a reasonable choice.
But today… they’re designing a whole new house that they want to build for it, centered around a scooter cabinet, and a few blocks away. Their plans involve taking our refrigerator. Continue reading “Scooters and Rabbit Cookies”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Fantasia Divinity Magazine, January 2018
A hundred-some baby geese wandered through the field of mint. Shanna watched them from the river’s edge where she was busy washing the kitchen rags and tablecloths. She’d heard stories about geese who laid golden eggs and brothers transformed into swans, but she had no brothers who’d gone missing, and when she finished with the washing, she found no glints of gold hidden in the mint. Only a smooth, round stone that felt nice in her hand, so she slipped it into her pocket. Continue reading “Geese and Gingerbread”