Reviewed:
This is a short story that I would consider art - because in just under 5,000 words Mike painted a world with the same ease that Bob Ross adds a happy little tree to one of his own painted worlds.
I should caveat this by saying that I consider Mike a friend, and we have collaborated on stories together. That automatically gives me a bias.
However, I wanted to highlight this because it's one of his first stories before I ever met him on SOL. He's written more fleshed out and detailed stories that I love.
I do not like short stories. Just when they get started and I get invested in the characters it ends. I don't finish the story in one reading - but i keep checking back with the characters as they evolve and experience through the story.
This is a short story and I LOVED it. It's one of the few I can say that about.
It starts right in the middle of a scenario with almost no context, and ends really before it begins - sort of like a vignette out of the Twilight Zone. The next thing you expect is for the dulcet tones of Rod Serling to begin speaking "In a topsy turvy world where a mother and daughter have nothing in common, comes a personal ad...FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE!! (creepy neener-neener music begins playing)
This story highlights Mike's raw talent and apptitude and it's a very short read. A great introduction to a really diverse body of stories - I give it a 10/10. I am marking the plot as N/A because it's more of a snapshot - almost like turning a single photo into 1000 words.