The problem of mold-brain
“... affected crew members will be locked in their cabins until they exhibit a tolerance for facts ...”
A couple of weeks ago, Nature Futures published my short story “Emergency housekeeping rules for the SS Heart of the Sun,” a flash piece that I first drafted in 2017 after the presidential election. But then I stuck it away in my files, because I thought it was TOO dark.
I was looking through my files earlier this year and rediscovered this story. And I realized, wow, I wasn’t too dark at all. With the rise of misinformation during the pandemic about vaccines and masking, it felt like this story had something to say about where we find ourselves at the moment. Mold-brains are lurking everywhere — if only we had an antidote that could help them exhibit a tolerance for facts.
I was also so thrilled to have a story in Nature — yes, the storied science publication. Not everyone may know that it publishes a science fiction story each issue, and some of my favorite authors have had their pieces in Nature Futures. And I received a lot of wonderful feedback for this story.
Anyway, always remember: Don’t eat anything in the common-room fridge that doesn’t have your name on it!