Elja’s tea-fish was aging, and with it, she withered. Her branches creaked as she walked the outer gardens of the temple, checking that all was in readiness for the ceremony. The leaves on her forearms, now gone brittle, shivered in the morning breeze. Her tea-fish lay quiet at her core, conserving its dwindling energy–until a scream broke the stillness.

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Anaea Lay presents Jo Miles's “The Longest Season in the Garden of the Tea-Fish.”

The slippery fish, while I think / Has begun to nibble at my toes

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents Jasmeet Dosanjh's “A Spirit Friend,” with a reading by the poet.