My short story “Her Last Will” is now available in Issue 81 of Metaphorosis. You can buy the issue if you’d like to read my story and the content listed below.
Table of Contents
- To the Wild Sea — B. Morris Allen
- For the Love of Wild Things — Mande Matthews
- Her Last Will — Karl El-Koura
- Portals and Other Lost Things — Elizabeth Rankin
- Infinite Possibilities — Michael Gardner
(Cover art by Carol Wellart.)
A sneak peek at my story:
Her Last Will
by Karl El-Koura
In the night, the silent robots took away his wife and left a note in her place.
Sensing from his heart rate that he was awake, Toqs’ arm band began vibrating with a series of pulses, one for each person wishing to send their condolences. He slapped the band’s face to mute the thread without looking at any of the messages.
The note had been printed on a long tent card, placed where his wife had been sleeping. Underneath an access code was the message the robots had printed for him:
HELLO, TOQUER HINGI. WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT SERENE HINGI, AGED ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-ONE, IS NO LONGER ALIVE. WE INVITE YOU TO WATCH A FIVE-MINUTE CREMATION CEREMONY TODAY AT 09:25 TO COMMEMORATE YOUR WIFE. IF REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A GRIEF COUNSELOR ARE AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO YOU FOR THE NEXT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. HAVE A NICE DAY.
P.S. THIS CODE HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO SERENE HINGI’S FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES.
“No, no, no!” Toqs yelled. He looked around the empty bedroom self-consciously. Serene had been catching him talking to himself with increasing frequency over the last few years. But, of course, no one had overheard—the suite was empty except for him.
Keep reading by buying your copy of Issue 81 of Metaphorosis.
