Neron Rising

sle

pe

simple man, but

w. His eyes remain fixed

His nose is round where mine is narrow. His

hair, but you wouldn’t know it now. His ha

I got all of my features from

r when all my friends did, he told me that she died wh

constantly have to build higher and bigge

took her from me before I ever had

steless food into my mouth. “I have enough saved up n

dging and food on the coast, you’d have to save up for a solar to be

it with resolve. Like it’s so far out of reach,

“I have been saving up for a long while. We have all our bills paid up. We hav

think about it.” But I see it in his eyes, and I know hi

her. We sleep. We sta

. But I can’t find it in me to fight him, to argue and beg.

e world growing dark outside, I take the th

ardrobe holds the eight different sets of clothes I

om for excess

n. Children are to live with their parents until they marry. Th

lay back on my bed, lett

ole that goes directly from my brain to his. I

into an abyss and you’re going to simply cease to exist, be

in a rush, like liquid

oice comes throu

ar it. “No.” I flop one arm over my eyes. “That’s

try to picture him. Is his hair dark or light? Is he

rt of routine,” he responds. “We only miss it

nars ago that my father had broken his arm and needed emergency surgery. I’d rushed from work and met h

ds, and hearing them spoken in my own head, it’s like a rounding chor

cause of your father.” He states th

ists. “I just

ould use a little more normalcy. Some boring downtim

” I ask. I don’t expect an answer, becau

gas planet in

e answers with a si

d to my surprise, a little smile pull

widens my smile. “Still light years apart, a

s just the modern g

faster. If I had the credits, I could get on

oes come with its m

l onto my side, my back facing the d

insane, impossible, crazy intimate way for lunars now, but if we ever

second I’m worried I’ve said some

e in real life,” he says, t

?” I

ust get this…impression. This darker,

pillow into my chest. “Like I haven’t learned anyth

’re missing so much else. There’s a lo