Tor.com have not been entirely lucky with their recent acquisitions of short stories for their site, for a number of reasons.
This here, though, is really rather neat - have a look at Peter Orullian's A Beautiful Accident.
This is a Sheason story, set in a culture which follows a path of pain, and more relevant, suffering; all in the name of finding themselves, and keep themselves grounded in reality and the world. By bringing a stranger, foreign to their ways, into their midst it talks about being human, about how new thoughts can fit in with old and established ones, and about bitter lessons that need to be learned.
It also comes with a gorgeous illustration by Tommy Arnold - click through to the story to see it in all its glory.
Links: Tor.com - Peter Orullian - A Beautiful Accident - Tommy Arnold
