SOLAR SYSTEM HOA Episode Two: The New Girl a short cosmic comedy It had been three days since the barbecue, which meant it had been three days since anyone had brought up the chicken incident, the comet, or whatever Uranus still wasn't saying — a personal record for the neighborhood. That ended around two in the afternoon, when something new drifted into the cul-de-sac. ✦ ✦ ✦ Arrival Nobody saw her coming, exactly. One minute the street was empty. The next, there was a planet

Episode One: The Bar a short cosmic comedy The Sun had been throwing the same neighborhood barbecue for four and a half billion years, and at this point everyone mostly came for the leftovers. ✦ ✦ ✦ The Spread Mercury arrived first, because Mercury arrived first to everything, vibrating slightly even when standing still. He circled the table twice before anyone else had shown up. Mercury: Is the food out? Is it out yet? I could've done this lap eighty-eight times by now. Venu