Station Eleven

by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven is the size of Earth’s moon and was designed to resemble a planet, but it’s a planet that can chart a course through galaxies and requires no sun.

“Are you saying I’m not pulling my weight, Miranda? Is that what you’re saying?” It isn’t possible to continue to listen to this, so she sets the receiver gently on the cradle and finds herself wondering why she didn’t notice earlier—say, eight years ago, when they first started dating—that Pablo is mean.

“You’re always half on Station Eleven,”

She replies to this—staying w a friend tonight, will be home in morning & then we can talk—which elicits u know what dont bother coming home And she feels a peculiar giddiness when she reads this fourth text. There are thoughts of freedom and imminent escape.

“Can you call the pursuit of happiness dishonorable?”