Annapolis to Andromeda — Grant Carrington

Includes Nebula Finalist His Hour Upon the Stage

Lie down, my love, and I'll tell you a story. Of course it's a true story.

It takes place in deepest interstellar deep space, where gravity is only a whisper, where lithium ions taste like cotton candy, It is only here, far from planetary masses, that space dragons will be found, for the dragons are fragile creatures, wisps of hydrogen and helium, traces of argon and nitrogen, You could pass your hand through one and never feel anything but vacuum, Should a dragon approach a planet, it would be torn to shreds, A painful death, And perhaps a common one for space dragons, for they are curious beasts, Perhaps that's why there are so few of them.

Travel with the author of TIME'S FOOL, AND OTHER STORIES from the past to the far distant future, from Annapolis to Andromeda, and enjoy a damn fine cup of coffee along the way. This eclectic science fiction collection includes the Nebula-finalist story His Hour Upon the Stage.

Then there were no more words, just two bodies pressed tightly against each other yet already hundreds of miles apart. We walked together, arm in arm, through the dark house, the lobby and out to the street. We kissed one last time then I watched her walk away. At the corner, she stopped, smiled weakly, and waved goodbye.

I walked back through the house. The only light left in the theatre was a single naked bulb backstage that cast garish shadows across the stage floor. I stood in the light, feeling vaguely foolish.