“No Child of Mine,” a new Space Western story by Filamena Young

Twenty-something writer and new mom Filamena Young recently had her short story “No Child of Mine” (2009) published online at SpaceWesterns.com. Set on an isolated homestead on the Red Planet, “No Child of Mine" revolves around a lonely old woman who longs to be a mother again. Here are the opening lines:

“I said ‘get’ and go on out.” Geraldine told her unwanted intruder.

Terry, a young wife from the homestead down the road stood looking slack-jawed as Geraldine shuffled her slowly back into the red sands and cold winds of the Martian landscape.

“And you can tell that son of mine, if he wanted to check up on me, he could do so his own damn self.” That wouldn’t happen, of course. The Companies had their contracts with the miners. Six months on, six months off. All in all, it was a fine deal for the miners. The wives tended to be less convinced. ...

“No Child of Mine” is the follow-up story to Young's “Mars Ain’t No Place for Ladies” (2007), another Space Western.