excerpt:
Every date followed the same pattern. After the dinner and drinks, and the long moonlit walk along the canal, Jules would casually remark that the hangar was not far from here, and would they like to come see? Once outside the heavy metal door, he would pause with his hand above the security scanner, as if having second thoughts about inviting an unauthorized guest.
The hesitation was no more than a cruel act. It was the look on their faces that made him keep doing it. As if it was just hitting them in that moment, how lucky they were to get both Jules Mercer and his giant robot on the same night.
➤ a short story about a mech pilot taking his date for a ride in his giant robot
➤ I love the uneasy way the narrative sits with the point of view the main character provides
➤ and the way the story opens up to questions about the way this society is structured, the things it values and the things it ignores
➤ and the strength of the ending in its refusal to tie things up tidily
➤ it's really good!
➤ 5k words in length
➤ I also liked the author spotlight in which they were interviewed about this story: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/author-spotlight-sagan-yee/
