By Toshiya Kamei
Shafts of sunlight dance as I swim down along the peach-coloured coral and through a school of colourful fish. In the distance, I spot a cluster of beehive-like structures. Houses pile up on top of one another. I gasp at the sight. Merfolk dwellings? A lost civilisation? It’ll be the biggest discovery of the century! In my mind’s eye, I’m greeted by a swarm of reporters. Fame and fortune await me. I tremble with excitement.
Something beckons me toward the submarine city. I hesitate for a moment. You can’t be too careful. Still, a strange force pulls me toward the ruins. I slip through a crack in a stone that resembles a gate and swim along a kelp-strewn path to a half-crumbled house.
Inside, a family of robots sways among the rocks and seaweed. I reach out to touch one, and rust flakes into the water. My heart races as I drift between them, as I see their smiles stretched into grimaces. Each robot is frozen in the middle of their routines. Dad reading the newspaper on the couch. Mom getting dressed for work. Son eating a bowl of cereal at the table. Daughter ironing her hair in front of the mirror. I poke at their robot dog.
Something seizes my arm. I turn, and a robot’s eyes glare at me. An electric shock runs through me. My body freezes. The tips of my fingers gradually turn into metal, and the rest of my body follows suit.
About the Author
Toshiya Kamei
Toshiya Kamei writes fiction inspired by fairy tales, folklore, and mythology.
Their short stories have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including Daily Science Fiction, Galaxy’s Edge, and the 2021 edition of Best Asian Speculative Fiction.
In 2022, they won the Apex Microfiction Contest.
Our weekly podcast features the stories from recently published issues, often narrated by the authors themselves.
Laurie Bell lives in Melbourne, Australia. She was that girl you found with her nose always buried in a book. She has been writing ever since she was a little girl and first picked up a pen. From books to short stories, radio plays to snippets of ideas and reading them aloud to anyone who will listen.
Margaret lives the good life on a small piece of rural New South Wales Australia, with an amazing man, a couple of pets, and several rambunctious wombats.
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