You are listening to a Clarkshould magazine podcast. I'm your host and narrator, Kate Baker.

Greetings, Clarksville citizens. I hope this podcast finds you extraordinarily well. Welcome to

26. Congratulations. We made it. Maybe by the skin of our teeth, but we're here. And thank you so much

for supporting us, for listening along with us as we tell you another story in these wonderful worlds and words that are crafted by our authors.

We cannot do this without you.

And if you've gone to patreon.com, forward slash Clarksworld or clarkshould citizens.com or bought a subscription.

Thank you. You help us. Let us do this every month. So thank you very much from the bottom of

my heart. I wish nothing but the best for you and yours in 26. I hope it is full of happiness,

love, warmth, and wealth, and health.

Our first story for this year is titled The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly, and is by Samantha Murray.

Samantha Murray's fiction has appeared in Clark's World, Asimov's, Strange Horizons,

the magazine of fantasy and science fiction, light speed, interzone, fantasy magazine,

beneath ceaseless skies and escape pod, among other places.

Samantha is a two-time Orelius award winner, and her work has been translated into Chinese and Vietnamese.

Samantha lives in Western Australia in a household of unruly boys and if you like what you hear you can go back to through these moments darkly

which was featured in april twenty twenty five somewhere it's about to be spring february twenty twenty three

preserved in amber july twenty, of sight of mind of heart,

in November 2016. So with that, my dear listener, I hope you can sit back, relax, and let me tell

you a story.

Now, relax and let me tell you a story now it is christmas morning and it is snowing it feels right and like you've somehow been waiting for this all along you pause only long enough enough to recover your breath, then dash from your veranda, and hold your arms out, do it, and welcome or embrace,

tilting your head skyward and opening your mouth as flakes fall on your tongue and eyelashes.

You ignore the little voice inside you, saying Wait, stop. What? What is this?

...