What mysteries lurk beneath the ice-bound surface of Europa?Ricardo Cuerta experiences the thrall of discovery when he becomes the first explorer to peer beneath the most astonishing pattern in the Solar System: the frozen shards of Europa. But what shapes loom in the darkness? What wonders lurk in the deep? And most importantly—what does that pattern mean?First published in the award-winning Futures column of Nature magazine, and selected by the editors as their favorite story of July 2013, "The Ostracons of Europa" will forever change how you look at this remarkable moon of Jupiter.A story of first contact by the author of "The Totem of Curtained Minds," now available in Fiction River.About the Author:Writer and working scientist Ken Hinckley resides in the Seattle area with his wife and children. His fiction appears in professional markets including Nature, Penumbra, and Fiction River, and his research career spans some 80 scientific papers and 150 patents (and counting). He believes he may yet have a good idea or two left in him.You can find him at kenhinckley.wordpress.com.