Confirm Humanity and Other Stories

By Ren Ellis

"Ren Ellis's Confirm Humanity and Other Stories is a collection...filled with questions, intrigue, tears, and hope. Ranging from familiar to fantastical, the settings and the characters are diverse. Readers will definitely enjoy the eclectic and fantastical stories in Ren Ellis's Confirm Humanity and Other Stories, and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Port of Planets Publishing
• Release date: Mar 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781734918625

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Confirm Humanity and Other Stories

Copyright © 2021 Port of Planets Publishing

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9781734918625

For my husband, Chris, whose love and encouragement keep me writing, and for Mom and Dad for always believing in me.

DELUGE

The trip to New Paris had originally been an anniversary gift to Ginny’s grandparents from all the children and grandchildren, but then her grandfather had busted a kneecap.

Well, I’m still going, her grandmother told Ginny as they lounged by the pool sipping sweet tea. It was only March, but already the heat had soared to record levels so that Atlanta’s spring-breakers needn’t go to the beach to tan. I told your grandpa not to carry all those boxes up to the attic alone. I’m not missing out on this because he went and did something dumb. I’m old. This could be my last chance. 

Ginny fidgeted in her lounge chair. The frankness of old people regarding their surgeries, pains, digestive issues, and mortality always left her unsure what to say. She tried remarking on the weather. 

"It’s so hot. The tele-table on which her grandmother was watching her soap opera said it was ninety degrees and just past noon. And just three weeks ago we had snow on the ground!"

You live in the South, Grandma answered. Weather here’s always been crazy. 

"But has it always been this crazy?" 

Her grandmother ignored the question. I’m going to see these cities while I’ve got the chance. Even if I’m still around––maybe they’ll upload my brain to a computer or something, who knows? But even if I’m still around, these cities may not be. You watch the news? No one your age watches the news.

"I read the Times online." 

Grandma snorted. "That load of crap. You might as well not read at all, Ginevra. Liberal brainwash. But I saw on the Donald Network––that’s the only one you should watch––that these cities are getting flooded left and right. Damaging all these old buildings, washing out streets. Sad. Just awful. Record rainfall and all that stuff. Bad luck. Real bad luck."  

Ginny wanted to say it wasn’t bad luck. It was shifting weather patterns. Rising sea levels. All the stuff scientists had warned about. She wanted to, but she didn’t. She would just be wasting her breath.

Who are you going to go with then? Ginny asked. If Grandpa’s here, you’ve got another ticket.

Well, how about you?

Why me? Ginny had five cousins all grown, all equally deserving or undeserving of their grandmother’s company. Ginny hadn’t done anything remarkable to stand out. The plans for her life were still nebulous. Even as she approached the end of her so-called gap year after college, she felt no particular stirring to work nor travel nor plan.

As if reading her thoughts, the old