Story Unlikely, April 2025

“Grasshoppers Against the Jar” by Wulf Moon

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The narrator of “Grasshoppers Against the Jar” by Wulf Moon is a teenager whose mother went to the Moon for her career three years ago, leaving him behind. She returns for her father’s funeral, offering the boy the choice between remaining with his grandmother or joining her at her new assignment in Germany.

The story is mostly a description of the narrator’s emotions. Although there are some futuristic details, the same plot could easily take place in the present, with the mother returning from some distant place on Earth. It is probably not giving away too much to reveal that the conclusion is open-ended, without the boy making his decision.

Victoria Silverwolf thinks the illustration for this story is very nice.