Next up: "A Singular Being" to the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, though I'm still considering changing the title.

2 things are helping me think about this story:

1. I'm reading Unbelievable by Stacy Horn, which is about the parapsychology lab at Duke University, and the attempt to scientifically prove or disprove the existence of ESP. My sci-fi story is about alien beings among whom 2 abilities considered "paranormal" here on Earth are universal: ESP & the ability to appear without one's body, both during life and after death.

2. Paul the psychic octopus. Not because of his ability to pick World Cup soccer winners, but because he is an octopus. My aliens are sentient octopuses. The ubiquitous pictures and videos of Paul over the last few days have given me an image of what they actually look like & how they move that all my research never did. I can't remember why I chose octopuses, but my research into the life, death, & habits of octopuses has driven the plot in some odd directions. I wanted to tell a story in which a young alien from a species that doesn't know the sort of permanent loss humans experience at every turn observes a bereaved human & is upset by the sadness.

What's funny is that to tell a story about beings who don't know loss I chose a creature that doesn't live very long. But that's kind of the point, they experience death a lot but not permanent loss because on their world the dead & the living have no trouble communicating. That brings me right back to #1, because what the Duke scientists were really trying to prove or disprove was that something of us survives death.

3. My experience with Critters Writers Workshop, both from the "reviewer" and the "reviewee" side has taught me that the reader's ability to read your mind depends solely on your ability to put it into words. Should I explicity say they're octopuses? Should I introduce an omniscient narrator?