Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud "The Day Hikaru Died" by Frances Koziar. This is a science fiction story about a family robot given an emotion chip by the man who raised her as his daughter. Blending quiet domestic detail with devastating loss, this story asks what it means to love someone whose life is slipping beyond your reach, and what remains in your hands once they're gone.

The written version of this story was published on May 7, 2026. You can find the written version right here.

About the Author

Frances Koziar is an author with over 200 published stories, poems, and articles. She is a tricenarian (disabled) retiree with a Master’s of Archaeology (Anthropology) from McGill University, where she specialized in cannibalism and Aztec human sacrifice. She is an intersectional social justice activist, a gamer, painter, DM, musician, and a bubble tea fangirl. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Tip the author to support them and say thanks
Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits
Author: Frances Koziar
Narrator: Jon Negroni
Editor: Natalia Emmons
Artwork: Jon Negroni
Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud "The Day Hikaru Died" by Frances Koziar. This is a science fiction story about a family robot given an emotion chip by the man who raised her as his daughter. Blending quiet domestic detail with devastating loss, this story asks what it means to love someone whose life is slipping beyond your reach, and what remains in your hands once they're gone.
The written version of this story was published on May 7, 2026. You can find the written version&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com/the-day-hikaru-died/">right here</a>.
About the Author
Frances Koziar is an author with over 200 published stories, poems, and articles. She is a tricenarian (disabled) retiree with a Master&rsquo;s of Archaeology (Anthropology) from McGill University, where she specialized in cannibalism and Aztec human sacrifice. She is an intersectional social justice activist, a gamer, painter, DM, musician, and a bubble tea fangirl. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com/the-day-hikaru-died/#/portal/support">Tip the author</a> to support them and say thanks</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com">Explore our full archive</a> of stories and poetry.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ceteramagazine.com/submit-to-cetera/">Submit your own story</a> to be featured on Cetera.</li>
</ul>
About Cetera Magazine
We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.
Credits
<ul>
<li>Author: Frances Koziar</li>
<li>Narrator: Jon Negroni</li>
<li>Editor: Natalia Emmons</li>
<li>Artwork: Jon Negroni</li>
<li>Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0&nbsp;<a href="Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></li>
</ul>
Share This Episode If you enjoyed this story, please share it with fellow story lovers. Your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers. Thank you!

In a world that's always on fire, Thank God For Movies. Formerly known as Cinemaholics, join film critics Jon Negroni and Will Ashton as they discuss the latest films coming to theaters or streaming online.

In a world that's always on fire, Thank God For Movies. Formerly known as Cinemaholics, join film critics Jon Negroni and Will Ashton as they discuss the latest films coming to theaters or streaming online.