Speculative Fiction
A Clean Pair of Dates
Eira Vossan
Mabel Finch trusted labels because labels, unlike people, generally understood the assignment. SALT. STRONG FLOUR. DARK RYE. SESAME. 6:15 BATCH. PAID. UNPAID. ELI—DO NOT TOUCH. The last one had lived on the top shelf of the dry store for eleven years, surviving three repaintings, a burst pipe, her husband’s funeral, and Eli becoming the sort of grown man who believed a note addressed specifically to him was an opening bid in negotiations.