You are listening to a Clarks World magazine podcast with your host and narrator, Kate Baker,

Greetings Clarks World Citizens. How are you doing? Welcome to August 2021 issue 179.

I hope that you are well, wherever this finds you, whatever you're doing.

And thank you for listening. Thank you for your ongoing support of this magazine.

If you have a few dollars, please consider going to Patreon.com

board slash Clarks World. Your support is appreciated each and every month,

and allows us to put out great content like this story and many, many others.

It also pays for the podcast and the nonfiction and the art that you've come to love here at Clarks World.

So whether this is your first podcast or your over 550th,

welcome. Thanks for staying. And come on in.

Our first story is titled Candide Life by Beth Goader.

Beth Goader works as an archivist, processing the papers of economists,

scientists, and other interesting folks. Your fiction has appeared in venues such as

escape mode, fireside, and flash fiction online. You can find more of Beth's work over at

Bethgoader.com. And if you like what you hear, February 2021 brought you history and pieces

and July 2020 brought you the house that left into forever.

So my dear listener, I hope you can sit back, relax, and let me tell you a story.

Sava is waiting for Jal in the Agnog eatery where they had their first date.

A moving rainbow of Agnog mini cups streams past on a conveyor belt.

Chewgabs of birthday cake nog removing the cup from underneath the safety dome.

The aroma triggers an access request in her microenvironment, which she grants.

The smell of sugar, milk, and chocolate engulfs her.

...