Escape 636 mother tons by S. Chuyelu. I'm going to Hello and welcome to Escape Pod your weekly science fiction podcast.

I'm Divia, your host for this episode.

Our story this week is Mother Tongues by S. Chuyi Lou.

The story was first published by Asimov's magazine in January 2018.

S. Chuyi Lou is a writer, editor, 18. and Strange Horizons, and their poetry has been published in Ink Squirrel and Liminality.

A dread member of the Queer Asian SFFH Illuminati, S lives in California with a tiny black cat named Thinmit.

Your narrator this week is Rebecca W. Sheer.

Rebecca is an actor and writer with a BA in theatre and Italian studies from Wesleyan University.

She doesn't particularly enjoy talking about herself in the third person, but does it nonetheless to seem as professional as possible.

As part of her attempt to be professional, Rebecca writes for nerdy POC and screen rants,

and has written for other publications such as Wonderful and

O.C. 87 Recovery Diaries.

Rebecca is also a connoisseur of bad puns and a generally awkward queer woman of color.

Her pursuits can be followed at her website.

Now, get ready to make some sacrifices, because it's story time.

Mother Tongues by S. Chio I Lou, narrated by Rebecca Wei Shee.

Thank you very much, you say, concluding the oral portion of the exam.

You gather your things and exit back into the brightly lid hallway.

Photos line the walls. The Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu.

The sun shines on each destination, the images brimming with wonder. You pause

before the Golden Gate Bridge.

Yoguai Tardala, the attendant says. You look up.

...