I was on an evil cruise ship.
There was a pool in the basement.
It was my birthday.
At midnight, the buffet started.
The water in my ears became gold coins.
Elena Zhang is a Chinese American writer and mother living in Chicago. Her work can be found in HAD, The Citron Review, and X-R-A-Y, among other publications. She is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, and was selected for Best Microfiction 2024 and 2025.