Passengers

by Michael Seese

Friday dawned, and sitting there in my inbox was another Flash! Friday challenge. Remember, I'm trying to defend my crown as two-time champion. (I may have to talk to Pat Riley about three-peat.)

The last two, "The Farm" and "Alone" I really felt good about. I'm not as sure about "Passengers." We shall see on Sunday.

Here is the photo. 

It's the splashdown of the Gemini 5 capsule in 1965. And here is "Passengers."

The two grown men splashed like giddy boys at summer camp. They would hold onto this memory, that of cool water.

“After six months on that barren rock, this is a dream come true!”

“Lieutenant, you and I just lived the dream of every American.”

But dreams sometimes can go astray…

“The first men to walk on Mars. I think that merits the cover of Newsweek.”

“Personally, I think it merits a date with a centerfold. Don’t tell my wife I said that.”

“Need to know basis, Colonel. Speaking of ‘the equipment,’ thank God the recovery ship is here. I need to GO!”

“You have permission to evacuate your bladder, Lieutenant. I don’t think the ocean will mind.”

Had he known Lt. Gage’s blood was teeming with an alien microbe that would voraciously consume the planet’s water, Col. Hart might not have been so cavalier with his assessment, sparing Mother Earth the fate suffered long ago by her red sister.

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Always A Bridesmaid...

By Michael Seese

OK, if you'll forgive the sexist remark, I'll move forward.

By my count, I've entered 15 of Rebekah Postupak's Flash! Friday contests.  And 15 times, I did not win. One of them, "Big Sister," did earn an honorable mention. But otherwise... nada.

Until this week!

(Cue angelic choir.)

I'm pleased to announce that "The Farm" took home the coveted "Dragon Award."

Here is what judge Betsy Streeter said.

This story does a masterful job of moving between two realities while flipping them on their heads. At first, it’s just an anxious band of humans. And, I love the sentence, “False hope is cruelty.” But then, you pull out to see an insect and the whole description shifts to a new language. Clicking mandibles, hatchday. And you realize, the humans are the scurrying, terrified bugs, and the bugs are amusing themselves without a care. The statement, “They are so cool!” conveys just how the bugs see the humans. Which is just the way humans see bugs. This is a great one to look at for examples of how simple word choice draws such a vivid picture – and how vocabulary can also create contrast.

And the cherry on top: my very own "Sixty Seconds With" interview.

Yaaaaay!

Flash! Friday... The Farm

By Michael Seese

Another entry for Flash! Friday that I enjoyed writing. I'm pretty proud of some of the language, as well as the twist at the end. (OK, enough self-horn-blowing.)

We had to work off of this pic.

and include thunder.


Here is "The Farm."

The clap of thunder sent them scrambling for safety. Up, down they hurried, scurried, traversing the steps carved into the unforgiving rock face.

Fear creased their weary eyes as they huddled in the remote recesses of the caves. The parents hugged their children, hushed them, reassured them that everything would be fine.

But would it? Had they made the gods angry? Would the earthquakes return?

Nights, after the children had gone to sleep, the parents would gather and talk quietly.

Of escape.

Of freedom.

Of a life beyond.

They never spoke these words in front of the children. False hope is cruelty.

On the other side of the glass, Worker 1421 clicked his mandibles excitedly.

"They are so cool!" he said to his fellow drone. "I'm going to ask the Queen for a People Farm for my hatchday."

"They are fun to watch. And so industrious. Still, I think I'll shake it up and make them start all over again."

Feel free to comment on "The Farm."