On "The Janitor in Space" by Amber Sparks (1551 words) ****

This story is typical of the pieces that first drew me to Sparks's work--that ability to make me see things fresh. Here, one of the most mundane of jobs is placed into what we usually think of as one of the most exciting. The janitor cleans up after dirty astronauts in zero gravity, ruminating on some bad things she's running from and on the beauty of loneliness. It isn't so much a full story (some of Sparks's work is less story and more oddball intrigue) as a set of thoughts. Read it here at American Short Fiction.