"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.
Nicole J. LeBoeuf is a New Orleanian writer of all things weird. Her
short fiction has appeared in the podcasts Tales to Terrify and
Toasted Cake, in the magazine Nameless Digest, and in the anthology Blood and Other Cravings. She and her husband currently live in Colorado, where she skates roller derby with the Boulder County Bombers under the name Fleur de Beast. She blogs at
NicoleJLeBoeuf.com and produces very short story-like objects for her subscribers atpatreon.com/NicoleJLeBoeuf.
"Run," says the unicorn. "Please."
Saiya caresses the soft muzzle, the spider-silk mane, breathes the dizzying scents of honeysuckle and musk. "You are a miracle."
"I am a trap," it whispers. Obedient to its nature, it lays its head in the maiden's lap. Saiya falls half-asleep herself, bespelled by wonder, as still as the threads of a tapestry.
Minutes or hours later, the hunters arrive. "Damn fine specimen. Top dollar on the open market. Hands off," they snicker at the crew. "No devaluing the cargo."
They load up and blast off, leaving the unicorn behind. They can always clone another.
The End
This story was first published on Tuesday, April 7th, 2020
Author Comments
The so-called trailblazers of Golden Age Science Fiction, and those
who laud them, have a lot to answer for. They imagined technology
sufficiently advanced as to be mistaken for magic (cloning devices!
interstellar travel!), but many of them couldn't seem to imagine a
human society sufficiently advanced as to value women as people
(rather than as property with varying degrees of wear and tear). Those
attitudes are too much with us still.
- Nicole J. LeBoeuf
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