Mr. Loneliness

On a remote asteroid outpost a lone observer endures crushing isolation, carving a small bust to ease longing and obsessing over missed visits from a woman he loves. Three visiting crew on a welfare run tease and counsel him, alternating banter and admonishments, while friction builds until his frustration explodes into violence; his hands pass through one visitor, revealing the callers to be electronic, spectral projections controlled from afar. The visitors' controllers sever the link and the projections vanish, leaving the outposter alone again amid indifferent winds. The piece examines solitude, the pitfalls of technological consolation, and the human need for physical presence.