Again

“Again” is a speculative literary short story submitted to Grain that follows a man in the moments after his death, as he drifts through an afterlife shaped by memory, regret, and unfinished grief. Guided by the ghost of a childhood cat, he is drawn into a confrontation with his younger self and forced to witness the quiet shame that has followed him into adulthood.

Told in an intimate first-person voice, the narrative moves through cycles of memory and return and examines the painful necessity of moving forward in life. Through its motifs of recurrence and witness, “Again” explores grief’s enduring legacy, how agency persists outside absolution, and how choosing to move on, even without certainty, can still hold meaning.

“Again” was submitted to Grain for the Short Grain contest. If chosen, it will be available for reading in early 2026.