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Two lists discovered folded in the wallet of space explorer Jorge Finnegan after the Reliant wreckage was recovered from Tau Ceti e

Sylvia Spruck Wrigley obsessively writes letters to her mother, her teenage offspring, her accountant, as well as to unknown beings in outer space. Only her mother admits to reading them. Born in Heidelberg, she spent her childhood in California and then emigrated to the UK. She now lives in Andalucia where she writes about plane crashes and faeries, which have more in common than most people might imagine. Her novella, Domnall and the Borrowed Child, was published in 2015 by Tor.com and is available now at all good book stores. You can find out more about her at intrigue.co.uk.

Ten Reasons Why I Want to Go to Outer Space:
1) Amazing astronomy (no light pollution).
2) Never listen to another Lady Gaga single.
3) There are no aubergines in outer space.
4) Nor Brussels sprouts.
5) I would finally read every book on my Kindle.
6) Never again hear my neighbor [illegible] his bushes at 7am on a Sunday.
7) NASA-issued fuzzy socks.
8) Freeze-dried ice cream.
9) Be a part of the future.
10) Make history.
Ten Reasons Why You Shouldn't Go to Outer Space:
1) It's cold and dark.
2) You'll never find out who ends up with Westeros on Game of Thrones.
3) There are already cockroaches in space.
4) There's no macaroni and cheese. Not even any cheese at all. And no strawberries either.
5) No one else will think that the adorable way you snore is adorable when you are sharing with 15 bunkmates in the transport ship.
6) Lack of atmosphere is bad for your skin and hair.
7) Cold toes with no one to warm them. Fuzzy socks won't last past the first year.
8) Accidental encounters with black holes.
9) You'll miss the feel of warm grass between your toes on a sunny day.
10) Because you can't take me with you.
The End
This story was first published on Tuesday, February 21st, 2017


Author Comments

I have a soft spot for stories told in the white space; where the reader is given just a few pieces and left to fill in the blanks. All of the facts are in the title (for which I must beg DSF's forgiveness, it is as a result longer than any title has a right to be). In the white space, lurking behind the simple lists, is background. Only when you combine the lists with the title does something approaching a story emerge. Some may perhaps consider it more of a sleight of hand than a proper story. But if you felt at all like you could envision them, the two list writers who will never see each other again, then to me, the piece has served its purpose.

- Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
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