Hugh J. O'Donnell

He began having stress headaches and needed a vacation. He found a backwater, undeveloped planet and booked a cabin in the wilderness for a week. No email, no videophone, no ansible. Just himself and nature.
He first saw the aliens on his second day. They were spectral, hairy little things, almost like earth insects, but cute. He spent his days sketching them as they hopped and skittered over the rustic furniture. Slowly, he relaxed.
He was packing up when there was a knock on the door.
“I’m here about the gas leak,” the technician said. Suddenly, his headache was back.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

The being held the smoky cube in its hands and watched the tiny world orbiting inside.
“I’m confused. It’s a simulation, but it knows it’s a simulation?”
“Not quite,” its companion said. “It creates billions of self-aware intelligences inside itself, which only last for a certain amount of time, and those intelligences are capable of discerning they are simulated.”
“Why?”
“We wanted to see how a large population would react to such knowledge.”
“How’s it going?”
“Not great. We’ve had to reset the simulation five times already.” The other being flicked a toggle, and an asteroid appeared inside the cube.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!