Nature Future Conditional

The story behind the story: The parasite and the widow

In this week’s Futures story, The parasite and the widow, Jeremy Gottwig allows us to eavesdrop on a very unusual conversation. A former NASA librarian and programmer, Jeremy can be found at his website or on Twitter. Here he talks about the thoughts behind his latest tale — as ever it pays to read the story first.

Writing The parasite and the widow

I think we can all agree that first contact would change the world. Politicians and pundits would find themselves debating intergalactic laws and fussing over alien influences. Space programmes would have new purpose and urgency. Power centres like Geneva, DC and Beijing would be crazy with activity.

All that said, I suspect change would be slow and incremental for those outside the major cities. The initial excitement would fade, and familiar routines would return.

I grew up in rural Montana. When I write books and short stories, I like to follow characters from Smalltown, USA. In The parasite and the widow, Shelii is one such character. I imagine that she’s from a large family in rural Nebraska, but she could be from anywhere. As a teenager, she desired to understand more about herself and her universe, while everyone around her continued to focus on local concerns. She came to consider herself an anomaly. When the opportunity came, she left Earth and became an intergalactic citizen.

In this story, she has come full circle. She has experienced a rich life and is on her way back home to finish out her days.

The parasite has spent its short life in search of a host. I suppose one could say that it has never really had the opportunity to live, but it is on its way home to die.

I see this story as a marriage proposal. Had circumstances been different; had Shelii not been so recently widowed, I suspect she may have given the parasite’s proposal serious consideration. She is open to unusual arrangements and experiences, but she is in mourning and has not yet let go of the past.

But she is tempted. I suspect she’ll spend the next hour or two wondering if she made a mistake.

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