Her date arrived and gave her an award. She thanked him and made a triumphant speech to the other occupants of the bar until several members of the wait staff opened their violin cases, removed their instruments and began to play her off. She strained to be heard over the music, reeling off a list of people she desperately wanted to thank, then sat back down at her table. Her date applauded loudly, his claps echoing through the room. An In Memoriam segment began to play on screens in the corner, honouring previous recipients of the award who had recently passed away. Everyone watched this in silence, even the wait staff, such was their respect for those who had once been considered great, especially compared to those who might yet be. At the conclusion of this segment everyone shifted back into light chatter. She took the opportunity to inspect her award, turning it over in her hands, attempting to guess at its weight. Not once did she wonder what the award was for, and he never volunteered the information, because he didn’t know. All they knew was that she had won it, which was quite a feat. As the evening came to a close they gossiped about everyone else they had seen, and who might be in contention for the award in the future, and whether or not they would deserve it. On their way out, as someone attempted to take a photograph, he swung a fist in anger, and was then arrested by a bartender. She was left alone with her award, and with memories of all that she had achieved. She still wasn’t sure exactly what this was, but she knew that it was a great deal, and she went home with a full heart and hope that she may one day appear on the corner screens in a retrospective of her own life, with the respect of the wait staff and anyone else there to bear witness.
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A Quick Recommendation
If you haven’t heard of Ted Chiang, he’s probably most famous for writing the short story the movie Arrival was based on. If you have, you know he’s widely known for his science fiction, and you’ve probably read this story. It’s written in the form of a scientist’s journal, which is probably best experienced through reading rather than any clunky explanation I might give here – but, in case you want to know before jumping in, it explores time, memory, and death.
We all keep spare sets of full lungs in our homes, but when one is alone, the act of opening one’s chest and replacing one’s lungs can seem little better than a chore. In the company of others, however, it becomes a communal activity, a shared pleasure.
The full story, ‘Exhalation’, is in Lightspeed Magazine.
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