the girl sometimes slipped off
the brocaded ambassadorial robes
she wore through endless negotiations
with more alien species
than she ever thought could exist
she was often too busy
to miss Earth, her parents, corn dogs
but when melancholy descended
she pulled on the ratty t-shirt and jeans
she had worn when she left home
her hosts had offered to replicate
the clothes in larger sizes, but for now
she was grateful the originals still fit
the girl curled up in a plush chair
bare feet tucked beneath her
and pulled out the gaming system she’d brought
the one her parents gave her
during her last Christmas with other humans
her hosts had offered to modify the system
so that it never needed charging
that offer, the girl happily accepted
and so she sat there and played games
of wayfaring warriors and airships and swords
for a while ignoring
the actual space port beyond her window
the burden of Earth’s future
upon her shoulders
after all
there were digital worlds to save
and she needed to level up
before she tackled the next dungeon boss
(Editors’ Note: “Other Worlds to Save” is read by Erika Ensign on the Uncanny Magazine Podcast Episode 33A.)
© 2020 Beth Cato
