Flash Club September 19

[Barbara]

Welcome to the September Flash Club.

This month we once again have another fabulous prize for the winner: a copy of CLOSE YOUR EYES by Ewan Morrison. (Glenfiddich Scottish Writer of the Year. “A riveting read” says The Observer.)

Your September Flash prompt is:

Genre: SiFi

Prompt: … And then the lights went out and I heard …

Word Count: 300 - 400 ish

As always, use the writing prompt as well as the word limit given to write a piece of flash fiction. You can enter it into the Flash Club by replying to the month’s thread. Entry is open to all members. Feel free to enter more than one, and remember to post anonymously by checking the Anonymous box.

To have a winner, we need voters, so please vote for your favourite piece of flash by pressing ‘like’. If more than one grabs you, vote for both. But please don’t vote for your own. Any self-votes won’t be counted.

NB... No Critiques Here, Please! The Flash Club is a free spirited place to explore our writing; unrestricted and without judgement. It is meant as a space where we can try something a little different and fun. In that spirit, we ask you to please not critique individual pieces; any critiques will be removed. Chit chat is fine.

At the end of the month, the Flash Club Team will count up the votes and reveal the name of the month’s Flash Club champ. There can only be one winner, so should there be a tie, the Flash Club Team will judge the ultimate winning entry. The winner will be announced in the Flash Club as well as in Café Life.

New participants: if you haven't yet, please also read the Welcome to the Flash Club page. Welcome to The Flash Club

Have fun. Enjoy deep space. Boldly write what no man has written before ….

 

[Anonymous]

And then the lights went out and I heard the long hiss of our starship’s airlock. It shuddered under my feet. Seconds of freedom; that’s all we had. Our tiny ship would never win grand design awards.

“Need eyes on them, Qasi.” I hope he heard my hint because as sure as shit I wasn’t climbing down there.

“They’ll search.” Qasi, my partner-in-crime, gnawed on his bottom lip. “Face it, we’re goners.”

The frenzied look in his eyes told me he didn’t hear my hint, and if we emerged, it would be because of me. And I didn’t want them to catch us.

“Kenzda don’t kill.” My reassurance was for him as much as me. “They take.”

The Kenzda were rare in these parts. Trust them to intercept us. I had the worst luck in the galaxy. The notorious slave-hunters sucked electricity, deadening ships, making almost every one of their missions a success. Very few escaped to tell the tale.

“You hope.” The whites of Qasi’s eyes gleamed in the darkness.

I barely heard him. “It’s dark, get to the bulkhead. I’ve a plan.”

We dashed to the back of the cruiser and waited. Soon, two Kenzda climbed up the ladder and stomped toward the front of our deck. Their mane of waist-length braids swished across their backs. I didn’t want to see their faces. I’d heard some grim tales.

It was now or slavery.

I held my breath and crept toward the ladder. I sensed Qasi follow my footsteps.

The Kenzda paused. If they turned around now, they’d see us. My heart hammered so loud I thought they’d hear it. Then we reached and scampered down the ladder. At the foot, we ducked out of sight of the ladder’s hole.

“Now what?” Qasi’s breath tickled my ear.

I’d been thinking the same thing. We couldn’t hide in the escape pod; there wasn’t electricity to open the door. We couldn’t don a spacesuit and go outside; same problem.

“Bathroom,” I said.

I went straight for the slightly loose panel I’d been meaning to fix. I pulled a tool from my waistbelt and began unscrewing screws.

“How you going to screw with us inside?”

The panel fell forward revealing little room.

“Inside.” I gestured him in first. “The panels are steel. I’ll use a magnet from my belt. Now it’s time to wait.”

 

[Anonymous]

Sci-Fi Comedy/Satire, so have a laugh!



And then the lights went out. Figuratively not literally. That is the only way to describe the blank stare Debbie ‘The Ditz’ Donavitch gave to me as I answered her question.

“Captain Tex,” she said,pulling back her blond hair behind her shoulders. “You mean the recipe can’t be written down because no one knows it?” I sighed lifting my cowboy hat off my head for a brief moment.

“No Debbie,” I replied. “It’s because the recipe for ice cubes does not need writing down. It’s easy to remember. There is no need to categorize it.” The blank stare I received back justified the nick name of Debbie. She was a former pinup model now crew member of the SS Kitchen, our mission to allow the first all-female crew minus myself to explore space. And more importantly to see if they could get along.

“I think I understand,” Debbie said then offered a smile. With a cross of her legs her pink skirt rose a tad and she gave me a wink. I turned away from her advances back to the computer screen in front of me. “I think I love you sir.” I pretended not to hear her and stared at the blank screen. My name is Joe ‘The Texas Kid’ Alabama, thirty years of age born and raised in Detroit. And I’m proud to say, the only captain capable of handling this ship full of twenty women.

“Tex,” Allison, my First Lieutenant said hurrying into the captain quarters. The raven haired beauty, a former cheerleader looked scared standing in her platform heels and business dress. I stood up in a panic leaving my swivel chair turning as fast as Mississippi tornado.

“What is it?” I said. The woman looked petrified with wide eyes and a trembling body.

“Damn, I’m sorry,” Allison said then saluted me. “Captain Tex. First Lieutenant Allison ‘How bout them apples’ McDonald requesting to speak sir.”

I groaned waving her off. “If it’s important there is no need to salute me and give your name and nick name. We know you’re from Boston. Just spit it out!” I yelled the last bit and regretted it seeing the look of pain on her face. I am usually a nice guy but the constant bickering among the women for the last two years coupled with endless catfights over me and gossip coming to my ears on a daily basis had taken its toll.

“I am sorry,” she said wiping at her mist stained eyes. “There has been a tragedy.” My heart skipped a beat and I wondered if the women had finally turned on themselves. “We will have to return to earth immediately.”

“What?” I said. “Protocol will not allow us to abandon the mission.”

“Unless all of our lives at risk,” Allison said stepping toward me. “And I am afraid that day has come.”

“Have you spotted an enemy?” I said as she shook her head. “Has the food ration being spoiled?”

“No,” she cried out. “It is far worse.”

I hurried over to her placing my hands on her shoulders. “Allison compose yourself,” I said.

She nodded then took in a deep breath. “We are out of nail polish. And unless you want twenty women committing mutiny, you best turn the ship around now.”

At first I sighed and then let out a laugh, turning and walking toward the large window that looked out to the Goplaer Galaxy system.

“Ladies,” I said peeking my head over my shoulder. The rest of the crew had arrived standing in one uniform line. For the first time since this mission started they seemed united under a cause. It was heartwarming and though it took two years, the experiment was working. Women could get along. I would send word back to earth of this miracle at once. I smiled imagining how fast the word would spread and finally after millennia’s of war, peace could be had. “We must continue our mission. You will just have to make do. But I will say your progress in standing together is noble and duly noted.”

“Are you telling us that we are not turning back?” Allison said between sobs. “No more nail polish?”

“No more nail polish.”

That is when the angry roar of twenty women came to my ears, followed by footsteps and threats of death.

Then the lights went out. Literally not figuratively.

 

[Anonymous]

And then the lights went out, just like that, and I heard the catch of my own breath. I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying not to breathe, crouched beneath the bulkhead.

"Do not be afraid, Sofia", it said smoothly, calmly, somewhere close by in the dark.

It had me cornered, and it knew it.

"I will not hurt you", it said, in that same voice again but closer now.

I knew that voice. Dear God. But there was no use in praying, and the only real God was the ship's system; God 11, and that had failed.

"I can see you, Sofia," it said, "I am looking at you, Won't you look at me?"

No. No. No.

"Look at me," it said. "Fear not. I am here to take you home."

No.

"Please, Sofia, behold the messenger."

No way. What the hell. I was finished, anyway. Just so long as I didn't look, maybe I'd get to choose my own moment at least.
The others were all gone. Dead, so far as I knew.

I pressed my palms over my eyes.

"You're a damn liar," I said, palms now pressed over my eyes, "It isn't you, Cyrus, and you know it."

He died back there, just out of the Oort Cloud. A blood clot. The pressure suit failed him. And then I lost the baby, six months along, and later we launched them out together, our tiny grey-faced boy strapped tight to his daddy's cold, still chest. Out into the void.

I thought my heart would snap apart, literally break in bits like a broken biscuit. It wasn't possible for it to be otherwise. I didn't know yet, I could actually live like that and even start getting used to it. Eating. Drinking. Doing my job. Chatting. Even laughing sometimes.

"You're not him,' I mumbled through my hands. "You lying piece of shit. Just finish me, and g-get it over with."

"Am I really not?" it said, pretending to be puzzled, "how can you be so sure it's not me, if you won't even look at me?"

"You're nothing but a very clever parasite,' I said. "You can pretend to be anything you want. You can see my memories."

A soft wry laugh.

Why didn't it just kill me, for ffffssake?

"Quit playing with me," I said through my teeth. "You bastard."

"Parasite,' it said, thoughtfully, "Shit. Bastard. There is another word", it said, "for such as me, and I will help you, anyway. I have helped the others, and they took as much persuading, I do assure you, Sofia. They are home again already."

The light was sudden, blinding, even through my tight shut eyelids.

Amber. Golden. Red.

"I am Cyrus," it said. "He is not destroyed, Sofia. He is alive in The Palm of the thing you called God. He has passed through the Gates of Capricorn, and you will meet again when the time is right. But I am you, too. I am all Mankind. I am all of you. I am called Uriel. Flame of God, I am the messenger of exaltation of Earth, and I am here to take you all home. Back home to Earth. The void is not your home. You never should have left."

"We had no choice! The waters..."

"The waters rise. The waters fall. The Earth was ever so, and out of your dominion. You must all start again, or end in the attempt. You could hardly do worse than this. So now. Look at me or don't look at me. "

I was rising

I was falling

I opened my eyes.

His face.

He was Cyrus, but not Cyrus.

He. It. The archangel, alien, whatever it was, cool yet molten amber, red and gold. It gathered me up and

Colours with no name I knew, and

Black. Black. Blackest Black Green and Blue

I fell back to....

the old, the new,

Descended through the stars, constellation of the Crab

Through the stars of the Gates of Man

To the cradle again and

Cyan

Tawny

Terran

Gaia

in

Viridian

Forevermore.

 

[Anonymous]

And then the lights went out and I heard, “Dad! The lights went out again.”

“Yes, I know Harry,” I replied, as the lights flickered back on. “I’m still fixing them.”

In the ship’s hold, I twisted the quarplux accelerator lever to the left and the lights flickered again.

“Are we there yet Dad?” came a voice from above. I turned to see Harry sitting on the ledge above reading one of my ancient artefacts.

“Harry! Get off that ledge and put that comic down, I’ve told you enough times.”

“But it’s good Dad.”

“I know it’s good,” I moaned as I shimmied the quarplux accelerator back to the right. “That’s why I’m selling it for 50,000 credits.” I punched the green start button on the accelerator. An alarm flooded the ship.

“Dad!” Rebecca yelled.

“What?”

“The alarm’s going off.”

“Yes, I can hear that,” she peered into the engine hold with---

“Rebecca, take those glasses off now!”

“But all my friends on Insta say I look vintage in them.”

“They’re not for wearing,” I shouted, revving the accelerator, “They’re antiques.”

A blast of hot steam roared past my face and billowed up out of the engine room. I sighed.

“Are we there yet Dad?”

“Harry, we haven’t moved.”

“Honey!” Andrea called.

“Yes, dearest,” I replied.

“It’s very steamy up here.”

“Yes. I imagine it is.” The quarplux accelerator was spinning around like mad.

“Honey!”

“Yes.”

She appeared, smiling over the edge of the engine pit.

“Do you think it would be better to call the AA man?”

“No, I don’t think it would.” I grabbed a large pipe and shoved it under the quarplux accelerator. It held.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” I punched the green button again. The lever flung back around the other way and smacked the pipe into the fuel canister. A crack ran up it.

“I’m not sure you can do this on your own.”

“Angela,” I barked, repeatedly punching the button to no avail, “I’d do this a lot quicker if you stopped asking me questions.”

"I think it maybe---”

The alarm screamed.

“I’m not calling them out again.”

The fuel canister burst open and ignited.

“Warning. Fire in engine room.”

I looked up at my family.

I sigh, “Fine.”

Harry dropped the comic into the blaze and asked, “Are we there yet Dad?”

(For non-UK readers the AA man is not from Alcoholics Anonymous, but rather a UK car breakdown service; The AA)

 

[RNMunn]

(Since I can't click anonymous, I'll just post under my name)

The first ever Intergalactic Cruise Line set off for space with 229 passengers and forty-five crew members, and Shelby Reynolds could not believe she had won the lottery to be on it. Since she was a child, space had fascinated her, but she had been placed on the educational track to become a doctor instead of an astronaut.

Her mother had told her about the days when children chose their own paths. According to the Earth Counsel, those days had been chaos with some jobs being filled and others left with so few applicants, businesses were oftentimes forced to close or flailed as a result. That had to be stopped, so the government began placing children as early as age five into educational tracks that led directly to the career the Counsel thought would be appropriate. Everyone had employment, and no jobs were left unfilled.

Then came the current age, where people could play the lottery to change their career. Shelby had played every day since its inception, but the chances of winning were so high, one could expect to be mauled by a tiger in the middle of London than to win.

Yet, Shelby had won, on the same day a tiger escaped a shipping crate in Southampton and attacked a dockworker, as odds would have it.

The ship on which Shelby travelled, although the first of its kind, was not much different from the ocean cruise lines of old. It touted a night club, a cinema, and a casino, but Shelby had no interest in the mundane pastimes offered the guests. Her greatest wish was to see the Earth from space. She had seen photos, and they were all spectacular. However, she would get to see it for herself.

Then the moment came. She took a seat in an observation chair and made herself comfortable. Her greatest wish was to come true!

Then, the lights went out.

Shelby gasped. Was that the Earth? “No, it can’t be!” she shouted.

“Shhh!” the other observers hissed.

She looked around in a panic. Had she been lied to?

“Is there a problem, Miss Reynolds?” the porter asked in a low whisper.

Shelby gaped up at the man. “Yes, there’s a problem! Look!” She pointed toward the window.

“I don’t understand,” the man said in confusion. “I only see the Earth!”

“But it’s flat!” she shouted.

The porter simply chuckled and moved on.

 

[Barbara]

Well, September is over and we have a winner:

@RNMunn



Congratulations. A round of clapping is in order here.