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

I hope you're doing well, Clarksworld citizens. This is our second to last story for the month of June 2023 issue 201.

How have you enjoyed these stories thus far for June? You can always let us know if you go to the Clarksworld magazine website.

To be about us page, all of our contact information is listed there.

I want to thank you again for supporting the magazine with this your first time listening to a podcast.

Maybe reading a story. Thank you for coming by. If you can spare a few dollars, please consider donating over at

patreon.com for a slash Clarksworld. Our story is titled Too Helen and is by Bella Han.

Bella Han is a Chinese writer and winner of the galaxy award. Her work has appeared in Clarksworld

science fiction world and other magazines and anthologies. She earned an MA in English from

Beijing University, writes in both Chinese and English and draws. She lives in Hunchule, China,

with her cat friends. And if you like what you hear, please consider going back to Amerville.

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

I'm waiting for Helen on her 50th birthday. On the table, there's a crystal drinking glass and a

vase with rare orchids. I can't tell if the flowers are genuine or not. Paint piano notes and a cold scent

drift in the air. Beautiful men and women sit on white leather sofas all appear to be in their 20s.

I feel a little uneasy. The afternoon sun shines through the French windows, lighting up the green

marble walls and falling onto the travertine floor. Outside the window, reflecting pools are as

smooth as mirrors. Evergreens grow between fair-faced concrete and wealthy families stroll

from boutique to boutique. In the distance, glass skyscrapers tower into the sky connected by

ribbon-like highways in midair. The weather is good and the sky is clear.

I came here by the metro. At this hour, the deeper into the inner city, the emptier the metro

becomes, and the fancier the platform has become. I haven't been here in years, so I got lost

...