Alyse lost her job and her fiancé in one fell swoop. Her solace? Her weekly visit to the Santa Barbara Zoo’s Asian small-clawed otter exhibit.

Then she meets zoo employee Matt, who shows her something special about the otters—and herself.

Recycled Pulp editor John Helfers calls this story “a kooky little palate cleanser.”

“The Imperfect Otter Empire” originally appeared in Recycled Pulp (Fiction River, 2015).