200 CCs - May 2016

y Joyce Chong
This month's stories take on a myriad of
themes, from apocalypse to mortality,
betrayal and departures, but what struck me
the most was the looming sense of
inevitability in the background. We
spend our whole lives trying to balance
our focus between the here-and-now
and the future. I'm not suggesting that
the arrival of the zombie apocalypse is
impending, but inevitable endings always
seem to be on our minds. Then again,
when every story is only a couple
hundred words long, conclusions arrive
faster than expected.
In If Zombies Climbed Ladders, Ville
Meriläinen shows us new beginnings just
as the world is ending, and redefines the
vow “til death do us part”. Marriage
looks a little different in the apocalypse,
and there are several knots to be tied
here. But even this leaves questions about
these characters' futures. If death won't
separate them, then what about the
fraying threads of a rope? Even after
death, or un-death, we still find ways to
go our own directions.
We follow a similar theme of mortality in
Holly Schofield's Sixth Sense. What if,
instead of us lingering on the future, it came
to you instead? Precognition can seem like a
useful thing to have until it fails you, and this
tidal turn only becomes more likely as time
goes on. It's not just mortality that this story
reminds us of, but it's also how quick we are
to forget about the good things we have in
our lives.
We're all familiar with departures in one
form or another. Nikki Boss' The Other is rife
with a multitude of complicated emotions.
The dread of being left again, the stubborn
resolve to hold strong, the lingering sadness
in the room, housed in the upholstery like the
persistent scent of cigarettes. Why do we
the plunge
leave? Why do we stay in situations where
we are always left behind? There's a whole
world of obligations beyond that door, and
we can only avoid inevitabilities for
so long. How do we decide when to
stay put, when to move on, or does time
decide for us?
Stranger Kissing by Jake Walters
touches on another type of betrayal
beyond being left behind, and instead
looks at what it means to be made
accomplice to a lie. Secrets aren't
durable, and like a rope tether at the
end of the world, their dissolution is
inevitable. If they aren't let out, they
break down and disappear with their
keepers, leaving only trace elements
behind. We're left wondering what the
future holds for these characters,
whether these rifts will come to light or
stay suppressed, splintering hidden
fractures in the family.
We conclude with Runaway Lord by
Ahimaz Rajessh, which explores the
paths not taken. The unconventional
paths, at least. It's not only in unexpected
places that we find new wonders, but in the
things overlooked by routine. Sometimes
all it takes is one risk to find new
perspective, the hidden roads that lead to
strange discoveries. It's reassuring to know
that leaving doesn't always mean the end.
Sometimes departures are inevitable, but
they aren't always sources of dread and fear.
Departures can bring new growth and
opportunities. Yes, death and heartbreak is
inevitable, but so is discovery, innovation,
and awe. Even if we are left behind, if
there's nowhere to go and we've come to the
end of one road, there will always be new
paths opening up around us, and new
directions to explore.
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