"Science Fiction" means—to us—everything found in the science fiction section of a bookstore, or at a science fiction convention, or amongst the winners of the Hugo awards given by the World Science Fiction Society. This includes the genres of science fiction (or sci-fi), fantasy, slipstream, alternative history, and even stories with lighter speculative elements. We hope you enjoy the broad range that SF has to offer.
Patricia Ash is the Editor in Chief of Gearhearts Steampunk Review. She has a book review blog at gearheartsmag.com. She lives in England with two cats and a husband.
It was only a little one.
It followed her home.
She didn't understand why her parents were so upset when they found out about it.
Hadn't she kept it just fine in her room? Hadn't it been quiet? It hadn't bothered anybody. She'd taken care of it all by herself.
She'd named it Grace and they'd had tea parties. Grace was not good at tea parties, but that was ok.
Grace slept in her bed, too. Grace was better than any cuddly toy. Grace had chewed the arm off her teddy bear, but she wasn't mad at her. Grace didn't know any better.
Yes, Grace had bitten her, but it was only a little bite. She hadn't meant to.
When her parents had found out, they'd thrown Grace outside. Grace cried and cried and cried.
She didn't understand why she couldn't keep her. Grace was a good friend. She didn't have any friends.
And Grace was only a little zombie, after all.
The End
This story was first published on Thursday, April 28th, 2016
Author Comments
I love a story where the narrator doesn't quite understand what is happening.
- Patricia Ash
Become a Member!
We hope you're enjoying Only A Little One by Patricia Ash.
Please support Daily Science Fiction by becoming a member.
Daily Science Fiction does not have a paywall, but we do have expenses—more than 95% of which are direct payments to authors for their stories. With your $15 membership, less than 6 cents per story, we can continue to provide genre fiction every weekday by email and on the website to thousands of readers for many years to come. You may also choose to support us via patreon.
Rate This Story
Please click to rate this story from 1(ho-hum) to 7(excellent!):