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A poor orphan girl is adopted by a family of immortals. But Poubelle prefers to run with the dangerous souls -- people like herself, mortal and full of life.
Perpetuals were the rarest people. Born rich and immortal, they came into life bearing lofty, ridiculously intricate names. The lucky few were able to choose shorthand designations. Brief, crisp, perfect. But most of the common names came out of random nonsense. Like a certain child who complains about dangers nobody else can see -- mortal hazards that don't exist today and likely never will. Barely more than a baby, the girl relentlessly bombarded her Family with outlandish scenarios, even when older siblings teased her for being absurd. Then one day, an exasperated grand-great-mother said, "Oh my, you're such a fret, Fret." A single offhand remark, but that proved to be a decisive moment, and that's why the girl was called Fret today and might be for the next one hundred billion years.
Robert Reed is the author of several hundred published stories. His novella, "A Billion Eves," won the Hugo Award in 2007. But Reed is best known for his Great Ship stories.
Genre: Science Fiction
Perpetuals were the rarest people. Born rich and immortal, they came into life bearing lofty, ridiculously intricate names. The lucky few were able to choose shorthand designations. Brief, crisp, perfect. But most of the common names came out of random nonsense. Like a certain child who complains about dangers nobody else can see -- mortal hazards that don't exist today and likely never will. Barely more than a baby, the girl relentlessly bombarded her Family with outlandish scenarios, even when older siblings teased her for being absurd. Then one day, an exasperated grand-great-mother said, "Oh my, you're such a fret, Fret." A single offhand remark, but that proved to be a decisive moment, and that's why the girl was called Fret today and might be for the next one hundred billion years.
Robert Reed is the author of several hundred published stories. His novella, "A Billion Eves," won the Hugo Award in 2007. But Reed is best known for his Great Ship stories.
Genre: Science Fiction
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