One Level Down — Mary G. Thompson

Trapped in a child’s body, a resourceful woman risks death by deletion from a simulated world. With her debut novella for adults, Mary G. Thompson (Wuftoom) has crafted a taut, ultimately hopeful story that deftly explores identity and autonomy.“A perfectly executed gem of a book. Deeply satisfying and completely mesmerizing, it’s full of depth, heart, and thought.”—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The SpellshopElla is the oldest five-year-old in the universe. For fifty-eight years, the founder of a simulated colony-planet has forced her to pretend to be his daughter. Her “Daddy” has absolute power over all elements of reality, which keeps the colonists in line even when their needs are not met. But his failing experiments and despotic need for absolute control are increasingly dangerous.Ella’s very life depends on her performance as a child. She has watched Daddy delete her stepmother and the loved ones of anyone who helps her.But every sixty years, a Technician comes from the world above. Ella has been watching and working and biding her time. Because if she cannot get help, her only solution is a desperate measure that could lead to consequences for the entire universe.