Author: marylowd

Chestnut Wish

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Typerwriter Emergencies, December 2017

“Once these precious moments that were tearing her apart had all passed… then she would miss these days. Every older otter told her so…”

Olea started screaming first, whiskers quivering with rage.  She was an otter and should have enjoyed tumbling and playing all day.  But she was also an adult, and Shaun was a toddler.  No force on Earth or in space could keep pace with a toddler otter — except for another toddler otter, but Shaun was a rare litter of one.  No sibling playmates.

All Olea wanted was to flop down, drape her long spine over the couch, and watch some TV show with fast-talking cats and dogs in suits throwing quips at each other.  But as soon as she grabbed the remote, Shaun pointed at the TV and chirped in his high-pitched squeak, “Cho-bolos!” over and over — whatever that meant.  Why couldn’t the doggarned kid learn to speak?  Humans hadn’t uplifted otters a hundred years ago so they could chirp nonsense words.  Language.  It was the whole point of being uplifted. Continue reading “Chestnut Wish”

Foreknowledge

“I feel my heart swell with love for her like a balloon swelling into the tip of a knife.”

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Apex, February 2015

I stare out over my pregnant belly, feeling awkward.  Feeling irritable.  “Why wouldn’t I want to know?”

“Some parents don’t want to know,” Dr. Anders says.  “And we respect that.”

“It’s right there on your clipboard, right?” I point to the clipboard, and he holds it infinitesimally closer to his chest.  As if he’s hiding the results from me. Continue reading “Foreknowledge”

Watching Star Trek Struggle

I can’t think of anything that screams, “Making a prequel was a baaaaaad idea and we regreeeeet it!” more than giving up after two years and jumping the characters forward in time until it’s not a prequel anymore.‬

“If we learned anything, we learned we’re not yet ready to learn everything.”‬

‪This is such an incredibly cheap, lazy, and anti-science sentiment. Just because knowledge must be handled responsibly doesn’t mean the answer is to simply throw it away.‬ Continue reading “Watching Star Trek Struggle”

Space Unicorn Blues and The LEGO Movie 2

Space Unicorn Blues by T. J. Berry is a wild ride; a really fun mash-up of space opera and fantasy. I’m looking forward to the sequel!‬

The LEGO Movie 2 is weirdly beautiful and mind-bending; a solid statement on toxic masculinity; and possibly the best use of Batman ever.‬

‪Also, the spaceship guy really speaks to me — “Loving spaceships is my one defining trait!”‬

Hamilton and Yoshi

The eleven-year-old: “They’re texting me Hamilton stickers. I ought to respond with more Hamilton stickers. That’s how conversation works.”‬

The game mechanics in Yoshi’s Woolly World are EXCELLENT for playing with a little kid, because when they keep dying, you can just eat them — causing the little kid to laugh hysterically — & carry them through hard parts in your mouth or else spit them at things as ammunition.‬ Continue reading “Hamilton and Yoshi”

Admirable is Better than Amiable

I quite like Star Trek (‘09), but my absolute favorite part is Spock’s answer when Uhura asks what he needs, after his homeworld is destroyed. It captures so much of the heart of Trek & why it’s the future we need:‬

‪“I need everyone to continue performing admirably.”‬

And now it’s time to hang out watching the five-year-old’s gymnastics class with the incongruous sound of #CrazyExGirlfriend soundtracks in my earbuds.‬ Continue reading “Admirable is Better than Amiable”