A near-future science fiction short story about a rogue gene splicer and her brother in a post-ecodisaster small town after the Splicer Wars.
Harmony watched the old truck blaze a bouncy path to her door. It trailed a long plume of steam from the boiler retrofit that her brother, Eugene, had installed so he could run it off pond water. It was lower maintenance than the temperamental algae battery she had in her little sedan, but not as awe-inspiring as the nuclear engine she knew he'd had his eye on.
"Uncle Vern's been drinking again. Get in the truck," Eugene said as he pulled up in front of her door.
Harmony had friends who had been blessed with a good and simple life - marriage, children, and a comfortable home. She knew they frequently wondered when something terrible would befall them to atone for the blessings of theirs life. She knew that looking for the cloud in their silver lining caused them great stress and worry. Harmony didn't have those worries.
She had the other kind.
Genre: Science Fiction
Harmony watched the old truck blaze a bouncy path to her door. It trailed a long plume of steam from the boiler retrofit that her brother, Eugene, had installed so he could run it off pond water. It was lower maintenance than the temperamental algae battery she had in her little sedan, but not as awe-inspiring as the nuclear engine she knew he'd had his eye on.
"Uncle Vern's been drinking again. Get in the truck," Eugene said as he pulled up in front of her door.
Harmony had friends who had been blessed with a good and simple life - marriage, children, and a comfortable home. She knew they frequently wondered when something terrible would befall them to atone for the blessings of theirs life. She knew that looking for the cloud in their silver lining caused them great stress and worry. Harmony didn't have those worries.
She had the other kind.
Genre: Science Fiction
Used availability for Katy Stauber's Gene Punks