Names For Water

Short Story by Kij Johnson
First Published in Asimov's October/November 2010
Free Audio Reprint from StarshipSofa, January 2011, read by Lizanne Herd

A college engineering student gets a strange phone call. She keeps talking even though no one is there because she is worried and unsure about the future and doesn't really want to go to class. Kij Johnson basically makes a thoughtful SF story out of a meaningless scene and a girl's imagination.

This is a neat little story, especially for how short it is. Not a lot to it, but it is rather nice. The only real SF seems to be from the girl's imagination and/or informed by omniscient narration. Not much here, but it is a little taste of sweetness. Worth the 5 minutes it will take to read.

3 names out of 5 bodies of water.