"It's the name of the star she hails from." Nicely done!

"...the leaves had already started to go gold and red"! I missed that detail, but there it is, alright.

2. Saul/Sol aka the sun? If that was your intention, I like it!

1. Well, John is an unreliable narrator, so it's hard to be sure. It feels like the times that are explicitly stated (when he checks his watch/the clock radio) are a few days apart, but also enough time has passed for weeds to grow in the flowerbeds, and it's been 9 days since his last confession.

My friend, I have an English degree. I expect there to be homework!

And I did enjoy it. At first I wondered why ath-Thuraya didn't just take John immediately, but now I think he had a choice, and he chose not to go.

It might be worth it. I've also heard good things about Murderbot, but I haven't watched it yet.

I love a good "left behind after the apocalypse" story. Naively, as a kid I used to think it would be fun to be left behind. Have you heard about the new Apple TV show Pluribus? In the same vein. I've only watched one episode so far, but I liked it.

I would like to read it very much!

I was drawn by your claim that it was "your most Manitoba story yet," and--having my own memories of the Parkland region--it didn't disappoint!

Circling back, as the corporate types say, to tell you that I really enjoyed this story.

As in, I don’t want to watch them.

Yes, otherwise it’s a problem not even coffee can fix.

I CAN hear the people sing. Even better once I've had coffee.

"my heart is in the right place, Officer."

I'm sure that's the intent. I guess I just don't have a sense of how huge that contest is in Europe. It seems like there could be other ways to advance Canadian cultural product!

Your sense of time and pitch! And that little sassy shake! Performing is in your BONES!