Cast of Wonders 529: Little Wonders 37 – Seeking Connections• Authors:
Marie Vibbert and
Sylvia Heike• Narrators:
Roderick Aust and
Samuel Poots • Host:
Katherine Inskip• Audio Producer:
Jeremy Carter“Haunting the Docks” is a Cast of Wonders original."Birding With My Human" was originally published in Nature Futures, July 7, 2021 (paywall).
Click here to listen to Episode 529
"Haunting the Docks" by Marie Vibbert
No one comes to my dock anymore. It’s so empty I can hear the ping of metal struts relaxing. The sounds of life elsewhere on the station, transmitted through multiple bulkheads, are muted, inchoate moans. I cycle through checks on systems unperturbed by human hands. I tidy what is already tidy.
I’m so bored. I power on a tug-drone.
“Aft Supplemental Dock Petty Tug Drone 2 reporting for duty. You can call me Pettie!” Her voice abruptly loses its chipper tone. “Oh, it’s you.”
"Birding With My Human" by Sylvia HeikeWe climb the steps of the bird tower, the soft shuffle of Willa’s sneakers on the wood ascending first, the dull metal march of my feet following close behind. It’s five-thirty on a Sunday morning, and we’re the first ones here—unless you count the birds, which I will, very soon.
It’s windy at the top, clouds rushing across blue, droneless skies. Willa adjusts the old fishing hat on my head, tugging at the frayed edges. It belonged to her grandfather, and she doesn’t want it to be swept into the lake. She tilts her head, robin-like, and smiles. “It looks good on you.”
I’ll take her word for it.Tags: AI, birds, communication, connection, friendship, humor, Jeremy Carter, Katherine Inskip, Little Wonders, Marie Vibbert, misunderstood, robots, Roderick Aust, Samuel Poots, space, Sylvia Heike, young adult fiction
