“Want to try?” she asked.
“Are you a cook?”
“I’m a baker. Why?”
“You smell spicy.”
The woman laughed. “So? Yes?”
“Thanks, but I don’t think so.”
“You can do it.”
“Unlikely.”
“Just bend.” Lightly, she pressed the small of Gunjita’s back. “Now lift your leg. From here.” She placed her hand on Gunjita’s thigh, gently encouraging it upward. The touch was electric.
“Breathe,” she said.
Gunjita had stopped. “Good advice.”
“Lift your head. Imagine a state of weightlessness.”
“I can do that.”
“If you want to stretch your mind, first you stretch your body. The body leads, the mind follows.”
“I thought it was the other way around.”
“You mustn’t argue. You must behave.” Her voice was stern, except for the giggle at the end. “You’re a student now. You’re here to learn. Broaden your experience. Expand your awareness.”
“Okay.”
“Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Gunjita could only hold the pose for a few seconds. She didn’t have her Earth legs yet.
“I’ve been in space.” She felt mildly embarrassed.
The woman nodded, as if she understood perfectly. “Even better.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Carter Scholz, Steve Crane, Pat Murphy, Dan Marcus, Angus McDonald, Mary Barsony, and Kumar Gadamasetti. Thanks also to my editor, Ann VanderMeer, and the good folks at Tor.com.
About the Author
MICHAEL BLUMLEIN is the author of four novels and three story collections, including the award-winning The Brains of Rats. His latest collection, All I Ever Dreamed, containing three decades worth of fiction, “will delight readers who enjoy a wide range of genre fiction … and thinking deeply about social constructs and how they relate to science” (Publishers Weekly). His acclaimed essay, “Thoreau’s Microscope,” appears in the 2018 book of the same name from PM Press, as part of their celebrated Outspoken Author series.
He has twice been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and twice for the Bram Stoker. His story “Fidelity: A Primer” was short-listed for the Tiptree. His first story collection, The Brains of Rats, was awarded Best Collection by ReaderCon. His novel X,Y was chosen for inclusion in Horror: Another 100 Best Books, edited by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.
He has written for both stage and film, including the award-winning independent film Decodings (included in the Biennial Exhibition of the Whitney Museum of American Art, and winner of the Special Jury Award of the SF International Film Festival). His novel X, Y was made into a feature-length movie. His story “California Burning” is currently in development in Hollywood for a movie.
Until his recent retirement, Dr. Blumlein taught and practiced medicine at the University of California in San Francisco.
You can find out more about him at michaelblumlein.com.
You can sign up for email updates here.
Also by Michael Blumlein
The Movement of Mountains
Decodings (screenplay)
The Brains of Rats
X, Y
The Healer
The Roberts
What the Doctor Ordered
All I Ever Dreamed
Thoreau’s Microscope
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Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novella are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
LONGER
Copyright © 2019 by Michael Blumlein
All rights reserved.
Cover photographs: astronaut © David & Myrtille / Arcangel
Images; sky © Shutterstock.com
Cover design by Christine Foltzer
Edited by Ann VanderMeer
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ISBN 978-1-250-22980-9 (ebook)
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First Edition: May 2019
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