Hoping to make their fortune (or at least climb out of debt), a trio of space traders travel on a dangerous hunt for a space whale.

“An Equal Share of the Bone” was originally published at Escape Pod. Find more of Karen Osborne’s work at www.karenosborne.com. Content Advisory: Animal death.

Our immersive audio is best with headphones! If you’d prefer to listen without immersive audio, visit levarburtonpodcast.com/mono.

In a small German village, an orphaned boy lives at a home for “displaced persons,” and puzzles over where he belongs.
“D.P.” from the book WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE by Kurt Vonnegut. Copyright © 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968 by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

As a generation ship hurtles toward a distant star, one of its crew members receives a rare and precious opportunity. For more from Gregory Marlow, visit www.greganimates.com/writing.html.

Content advisory: illness, death

An artist works as a dream concierge, creating augmented dream packages for clients. For more from Violet Allen, visit her on Twitter @blipstress.

Content advisory: mind / body control

A time traveler is stranded in a small town. This story appears in SOMEONE IN TIME: TALES OF TIME-CROSSED ROMANCE, published by Solaris. Find more from Jeffrey Ford at well-builtcity.com.

Content advisory: suicide

A hapless salesman flees the librarian hell-bent on retrieving her lost library book. This story appears in Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, published by Tordotcom in hardcover and e-book, and by Recorded Books in audiobook format. For more from the author, visit tobiogundiran.com.

Content advisory: Explicit language, gore

A story of a stolen wok, magic, and manipulation. This story was originally published in Strange Horizons. You can find more of the author’s work at guanun.com.

A financial advisor meets his new client: a hardworking, unassuming man with a curious and potentially life-changing secret.

A waitress is jolted from her morning routine when she’s visited by a mysterious child.

A struggling college student gains new perspective on her studies from her classmate, who’s come to study from another planet. Find more of the author’s work at www.nickydrayden.com.