Lanterns In The Morning

Molly arranges stones in a circle while the city across the pond burns. Her parents wait inside and watch, deciding whether she is the reason for the world's end or the only force that can stop it. In this science fiction short story, we revisit the implications of the Sorter, the computer that can program humans, first introduced in Peter Sargent's novella Average Joe and the main topic of The Dead Reckoner.