7 ‘Hello’ Short Stories I Read This Week
Sunday, 21 November 2021, was World Hello Day, a day for saying hello and recognising the effect simple communication can have on us. With that in mind, this week I read stories that had something to do with ‘Hello’.
It didn’t matter the genre. I just wanted an interesting concept and a story that made me want to know what happens next.
These are the stories I read this week and what I thought.
**Please be aware that I’m not here to criticise any writer. The fact that these writers have put themselves out there and made these stories available for me to read for free is amazing and I thank you.**
Sunday: Hello, Hello
Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire. Published in Lightspeed, Issue 112, September 2019.
What it’s about: A science fiction story in which a computer translation program enables the programmer and her deaf sister to communicate online. When a stranger calls from the sister’s house, the program doesn’t seem to be working properly.
“Hello,” said the woman on the screen. She was black-haired and brown-eyed, with skin that fell somewhere between “tan” and “tawny.” She was staring directly at the camera, almost unnervingly still. “Hello, hello.”
This story starts with the narrator talking to her deaf sister online. The narrator is a “professional computational linguist”. Her sister rescues large birds and rehabilitates them in her home. The sisters talk through a program that translates between speech and sign language.
The translation program uses an avatar to show who’s speaking. If one hasn’t been customised, it uses a generic one and tries to match the look of the person.
The narrator finds her 9-year-old daughter talking to a strange woman who is calling from the sister’s home. The translation doesn’t seem to be working properly. After more calls from this stranger, the narrator goes to her sister’s place to catch this stranger in the act.
This story was quite heavy on the technical details of how the translation program worked. It was a bit too much information for my non-sciencey brain, but I enjoyed the story anyway.
Monday: Hello Everybody
Hello Everybody by A.M. Homes. Published on the Electric Lit website.
What it’s about: A contemporary story about Walter, who is home from college, catching up with his wealthy friend.
“Neither siblings nor neighbors, he and Cheryl grew up together — each the other’s witness and confidant. He was the first one to see her nose job, her breasts; both the original ones and the add-ons. She saw his chin and his eyebrow piercing before he even did.”
This story is a light-hearted moment in time, following the reminiscences of two friends from different worlds. Mostly dialogue and thought, this is a tongue-in-cheek description of a life of privilege, boredom, and lethargy.
Plenty of first world problems and some very nice descriptions which make you feel the heat of summer and the lethargy and entitlement of the privileged.
This is my pick of the week so if you only read one of these, make it this one.
Tuesday: Right Number Wrong Person
Right Number Wrong Person by Jamie Ruff. Published on the Short-story.me website.
What it’s about: A contemporary story about a man who starts to get calls from people wanting to talk to the previous owner of his cell phone number. One woman is particularly persistent.
“That’s when I realized I had been given someone else’s life. Through these errant calls and voicemails, I had access to all the previous holder of this cell phone number’s friends, and their desire — and his — for their friendship.”
This is the only one that didn’t have ‘hello’ in the title, but it was about communication, so it fit my brief.
The unnamed narrator’s wife insists he needs a cell phone, even though he doesn’t see the point. He starts to receive calls from people wanting to talk to someone he assumes is the previous owner of his number. What starts as a bit of fun, becomes annoying as it goes on. The calls eventually stop, except for one woman who keeps calling wanting to talk to Shawn.
This is a sad story but one that I can imagine happening in real life.
Wednesday: Hello, Moto
Hello, Moto by Nnedi Okorafor. Published on the TOR.com website.
What it’s about: A fantasy story about a Nigerian woman who makes three magical wigs, one for herself and the other two for her friends. The wigs have unexpected effects on the women and the people around them.
“The wigs were supposed to make things better. But something went wrong. Like the nation we were trying to improve, we became backward. Instead of giving, we took.”
The narrator, Rain, makes the magic wigs using a combination of witchcraft and technology. The idea was that the three women wearing them would give their people hope and help to fight the ingrained culture of corruption in their society. Instead, the wigs corrupt the women.
An interesting concept but the ending makes this story feel unfinished. Be prepared to use your own imagination to finish it off.
Thursday: Hello, My Friend
Hello, My Friend by C. James Darrow. Published on the 365tomorrows.com website.
What it’s about: A science fiction story about a robot trying to understand the differences between himself and living beings.
“The park. A pond. There’s creatures moving through the water. Are they like me?”
What makes something sentient? How are machines different to humans? Are machines aware? Can machines ponder existence?
This machine does and makes some interesting observations.
A very quick read with a surprise at the end.
Friday: Hello
Hello by Anna K. Firth. Submitted to Reedsy as an entry into a prompt competition.
What it’s about: A contemporary story with an unnamed narrator reminiscing about girls they’ve known and the goodbyes they’ve experienced.
“So you turn to her and you say it. You say it knowing you’re going to have to say goodbye. Because after she says goodbye and she’s gone, you’ll have this.”
The unnamed narrator is also of an unnamed gender. It’s not clear if they are talking about the same girl all the way through, but I feel like they’re not. I think they’re remembering the short-lived relationships that follow the same cycle, starting with hello and ending with goodbye, throughout their life.
This story is sad and invokes a sense of loneliness and someone who doesn’t fit in.
Saturday: Say “Hello” for Me
Say “Hello” for Me by Frank W. Coggins. Published in If Worlds of Science Fiction, May 1953 and available from Project Gutenberg.
What it’s about: A science fiction story about the sole survivor of a mission to Mars and what happens when a rescue ship finally arrives.
“Twenty years is a long time to live in anticipation. At least, Professor Pettibone thought so — until the twenty years were up.”
Professor Pettibone has developed rituals to get him through the lonely days. He recites a short poem every morning, looking towards Earth. He polishes his crashed spaceship every day, hoping that a rescue ship will see the glint of the sun off it and know where to find him.
One day that rescue ship arrives.
This story had an unexpected ending. The pacing and the style of the story gelled nicely with the serenity and calmness of the Professor.
TL;DR
This week’s short ‘Hello’ stories, in the order that I enjoyed them.
- Hello Everybody by A.M. Homes
- Hello, My Friend by C. James Darrow
- Right Number Wrong Person by Jamie Ruff
- Hello, Moto by Nnedi Okorafor
- Say “Hello” for Me by Frank W. Coggins
- Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire
- Hello by Anna K. Firth
I’m fascinated by short fiction. I write it and I read it.
As well as reading longer-form fiction, I try to read at least one short story every day. I select out-of-the-way stories and authors I’ve never read and sometimes never heard of.
Sometimes I pick competition entries, often ones that didn’t win. Sometimes I find random personal websites where someone has published their own stories. Sometimes I seek out professionally published stories from hardcopy books or online magazines. Sometimes I look for really old stories that are out of copyright and available online.
I’m open to suggestions for genres or themes for me to read each week.
