Reduce your STRESS!!! "I Hope I Can Call You Back" by Tara Campbell
BogiReads brings you the daily speculative reading recommendation of editor Bogi Takács.
Today's recommendation -
Author: Tara Campbell
Title: “I Hope I Can Call You Back”
Venue: Worlds of IF, February 2024 (eds. Justin T. O’Conor Sloane and Jean-Paul L. Garnier)
Type: Flash story – 1133 words
Themes: Science fiction, stress, neurosurgery, family, relationships
Where to read: Free PDF on the website
Worlds of IF is being relaunched! I read the inaugural issue with interest, but sadly most of it didn’t work for me at all. However, I thought this flash story by Tara Campbell was awesome and well worth the read.
People are told a lot these days to reduce their stress – this piece takes it to the extreme:
“Hello, it’s Alison. Please be aware, I’ve just had stress reduction brain surgery that has made it impossible for me to hear people who have created too much—well, stress—in my life.”
The story is told in successive iterations of Alison’s voicemail message. I think this is exactly the right form for this piece – it’s not only innovative, but also has a good reason for innovating. I won’t tell you more; it’s short, so you can just see it for yourself. I clearly need to read more from Tara Campbell!
Until next time,
Bogi.