Joyless Eye by J.C. Pankratz
Set in an alternate history where the ’69 lunar landing fails, “Joyless Eye” follows ex-VA nurse Myra Ann Combs as she tends a lingering obsession with the moon and struggles with homelessness, unemployment, PTSD, and a girlfriend who is quickly losing her patience. Help comes in the form of the spirit of comet astronomer Caroline Herschel, who appears in Myra Ann’s motel room with simple, inspired purpose: to...
Set in an alternate history where the ’69 lunar landing fails, “Joyless Eye” follows ex-VA nurse Myra Ann Combs as she tends a lingering obsession with the moon and struggles with homelessness, unemployment, PTSD, and a girlfriend who is quickly losing her patience. Help comes in the form of the spirit of comet astronomer Caroline Herschel, who appears in Myra Ann’s motel room with simple, inspired purpose: to build a telescope. But the more time and energy Myra Ann spends pursuing the moon, the harder her memories pull her back into the past, loosening her grip on reality and causing her to confront, at the end of all things, why she must continue to build.