Foundling on Venus

"Foundling on Venus" by John De Courcy is a science fiction story set on the unforgiving planet Venus, where survival is a daily struggle. The story tells of a young child found alone in the dangerous streets of New Reno and a waitress named Jane, who finds him and decides to care for him. This act of kindness eventually shows some unexpected answers about the child's identity because of a revelation. It is found that the child is not truly a human, but an alien disguised in a mask, a twist that throws into sharp relief themes of identity and companionship as the waitress and the boy form a bond.