TO LABOR FOR THE HIVE THE LAST ALMOND A SEDER IN SIBERIA Written by Jamie Liu Written by Zoe Young Written by Louis Evans The heart of climate fiction at Grist.org is our annual short story contest celebrating hope-filled tales of just, sustainable futures. This year our judges were Paolo Bacigalupi, Nalo Hopkinson, and Sam J. Miller. From 1,000 submissions they selected the three winners, in a collection of twelve, that you will discover here.

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Huaxin: holy shit Huaxin: you’re not real Everything slammed into place. Anshui always being so friendly, so available. Anshui never sharing personal details. Anshui refusing to video call. Anshui was not human. Support: what?

To Labor for the Hive

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He hears howling. He looks around and sees a pack of dogs on top of a truck. Their dog walker is holding their leashes and they’re howling at the ambulance like it’s the moon. He catches the dog walker’s eye — a girl in her 20s with a gap in her teeth, and just for a second, the two of them smile at each other. “I can come back for you once I get my kids,” he yells to her. She shakes her head. “I won’t leave them.” She means the dogs. There are too many to fit in the canoe. She salutes him.

The Last Almond

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We drank all four cups of wine. We counted out the plagues. We ate algae karpas and horseradish from the backyard. The kids hid the hazelnut afikomen. Leo hugged Jonathan. Jonathan hugged Mom. The mammoth brisket was delicious. We sang “Dayenu,” because even a single miracle would have been enough. Out on the range with Thea, I thought about my parents’ lies. About my father’s crimes. About fleeing, and being sent.

A Seder in Siberia

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[{"selector":"#anim-b730adf8-1fd4-4dba-a971-274909f6df6b [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-34.788160965387455%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-255cb818-37d5-47cb-a31f-59c4a0d91f04","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3c877917-2645-448c-90a9-50661791c4cd","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Grist’s short story contest celebrates stories that offer vivid, hope-filled, diverse visions of climate progress. From 1,000 submissions, our reviewers and judges selected the three winners and nine finalists you will discover in this collection. These stories are not afraid to explore the challenges ahead, but offer hope that we can work together to build a more sustainable and just world.

Climate. Justice. Solutions.

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