An Impressive Short Story

Great science fiction writing shines a light on how we live right now by speculating about a possible future where something is . . . different.

For example, we take it for granted that all of us are born as children and live for many decades. But what if there comes a time when most people are born as adults and live only for twelve months? How would their perspectives and priorities differ from ours? What would the relationship between father and son be like?

Similarly, a good writer finds clever ways to show us how concepts that we ridicule today are likely to come to life in the future - albeit in a way we might not expect.

For example, no one seriously argues that telepathy (mind reading) exists today. But does anyone doubt that in the coming years electronic communications devices will get smaller, faster, and more sophisticated? And that at some point biologists and computer scientists will start to interface communications devices with our bodies, such that people will be able to "think" at each other instantly? What would that be like?

A final example relates to extra-terrestrial life. What it would be like if aliens do show up here someday and are wildly different from the childish pop culture depictions so common in today's popcorn flicks? What if the aliens aren't out to eat us or enslave us or probe us? What if they see our planet as nothing more than an interstellar bathroom, and don’t even notice us -- the same way we barely notice colonies of ants in the woods? What could do to prove our sentience to aliens who may be so far advanced that, to them, we are nearly indistinguishable from ants and other lifeforms found on Earth today?

These three concepts (short life, wetware-telepathy, and being unable to get the attention of an alien) are explored wonderfully in a short story that I just read – or should I say listened to: “The Fifth Zhi,” by Mercurio Rivera.

I think the story was first published in Interzone but you can listen to it for free at Escape Pod, and if you are not familiar with the website "Escape Pod," and you enjoy short science-fiction stories, I strongly encourage you to check it out. In addition to new weekly episodes being free, their archive of 200+ shows is also entirely free. A few months ago, I downloaded all their old episodes (stories) and have been enjoying working my way through the archives. It has been an enjoyable journey, especially as the quality of the stories has been steadily improving. I also like how they sometimes post "flash" stories that are generally only 5 minutes long.



If you get hooked on Escape Pod too, let me know which stories are your favorite.