EP116: Ej-Es

[Unblinking]

Good story!  I like the question of "Freedom or Happiness" as a story element and this one did it well, so well that I wasn't convinced Mia made the right decision.  The fact that the colony's population was increasing and that all the current residents had had the condition since birth were the major factors in that decision.  ajames said it well upthread that it might have made sense to cure them if there was a society to place them back into, but all you're going to end up with if you cure everybody is a planet full of really depressed people who will spend their time reminiscing about how great Ej-Es used to be before he buggered off.

That being said, I don't think the story would've captivated me so much if I had read it in text.  The reader was frigging amazing!  It's not easy to pull off the made-up language lines with such authentic emotion.  Esefeb's final line made me want to cry.

[LaShawn]

I've been meaning to listen to this story but never got around to it. Then Lightspeed picked it up, so since I'm a slusher for them I put it in my feed. And it turns out, they used the EscapePod reading for the podcast, so it was like a double win.

Normally, with such stories, I side with those who argue against messing with a culture, but this time I found myself, to my surprise, agreeing with Mia's actions. I think it was the scene with the baby that did it. If the joy they have comes at the cost of neglect themselves and those powerless to do so, and if they have such a condition since birth, then Mia's actions to stay behind is just.

But I also liked how the story doesn't end so neatly on Mia's decision, and instead shows the consequences of her actions. Poor Esefeb. I wonder how she will do in the next few days.