Ripeness is All

Although set in a dystopian future, Jesse Roarke's short story "Ripeness is All" takes its title from a line in Shakespeare's King Lear, and there is a sense of a kind of timeless tragedy that rises to the surface in the tale. Brief but beautifully written, this fable-like story underscores the fact that even the most wondrous technological advances don't guarantee one's happiness.