Shortlist – 2026 Gooseberry Pie Annual Writing Competition
by Emily Rinkema
First, if it’s not your favorite baby, consider just letting it go. If it is your favorite, then try to negotiate. Offer them other things an alien might want, like a different baby, maybe, or a ripe avocado, or a 1973 first edition Dark Side of the Moon album. When they won’t bargain, you can fight, but remember that they have millions of years of advanced technology, crocodile-thick skin, and super-targeted lasers on their side, and you just have fingernails and teeth.
After you lose, when they lift off in their spaceship, maybe just count your blessings. Instead of worrying about skateboarding accidents and school shooters, you’ll be able to imagine your baby barreling through the galaxy, laughing at the stars.
Emily Rinkema lives in northern Vermont. Her stories have been chosen for Wigleaf Top 50, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and Best American Nonrequired Reading. You can read more of her work at emilyrinkema.com.
Photo by Alina Karpenko on Unsplash
