James Alan Gardner got his M. Math in Applied Math with a thesis on black holes…then he began writing science fiction instead. He has published eight novels, and numerous short stories in magazines/anthologies. He has won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and the Aurora award, and has been a finalist (twice) for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario with a mistrustful rabbit. In his spare time, he plays piano and teaches kung fu.
I woke naked in the garden. Nothing grew there—not even weeds. Just withered stalks that looked ages old. Maybe dating back to when things were still okay. The darkness was beginning to brighten. I always came to, just before dawn.
