I’m late again this week, although one might argue that posting Friday Fictioneers on Friday, is clever. Wink wink. This is also my very first foray into Science Fiction. Please be patient, it’s not my genre, but this photo took me there… on Wednesday, when I saw it and started writing this in my head.
Friday Fictioneers is brought to you each week by the indefatigable Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, who leads our band of merry writers, in our weekly photo prompt flash fiction. The photo this week comes from Roger Bultot. You can find other 100-word stories on Rochelle’s blog, Addicted to Purple. Join us, or just enjoy the fun stories. Please leave a comment. I always welcome honest, thoughtful or constructive feedback.
© Roger Bultot
Earth 2054 (100 words)
Eventually the virus spread.
When suffering and death was limited to Africa, the world looked away. I cannot speculate, but the lack of concern was wide spread.
When it arrived on other continents, brought initially by medical transfers, the pandemic spread slowly at first, but eventually killed everyone.
The outcome was stunning, even for me. The bodies were left to rot or be eaten by wildlife– until the animals were gone too.
The plants survived. Even with acid rain and changing temperatures they have slowly reclaimed it all.
I am left to record it all. My programming has no end date.
* * *
What do I want? I’d love to see my Tales From the Motherland Facebook page reach 500 likes in 2014. Have you stopped by to spread some fairy dust? Follow me on Twitter, it’s where I try to be brief. Most importantly, if you like a post hit Like, and leave a comment. I love to hear what readers think. Follow along; you’ll get each new post delivered by email, with no spam. If you see ads on this page, please let me know. They shouldn’t be there. © 2014 Please note, that all content and images on this site are copyrighted to Dawn Quyle Landau and Tales From the Motherland, unless specifically noted otherwise. If you want to share my work, please give proper credit. Plagiarism sucks.
TALES FROM THE MOTHERLAND 
Great stuff, Dawn!
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Thanks Carrie!
How are you? How is the editing going? I’ve missed you this summer!
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Well, my writing’s been a bit on the back-burner since I’ve been helping my mother (she had a surgical complication last month), but I hope to get back on track soon. 🙂
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Oh my! SO sorry to hear that, Carrie. It’s so absorbing to care for parents, who have medical needs. I really empathize. I hope she is on the mend, and feeling better? I know you’ll get right back into a groove. You have such wonderful focus. (Not like me!) I’m just sorry your mom has been suffering. All the best. xo
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Thank you. It will be a long road. I wrote a blog post about it last month. But at least she’s making progress.
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Oops… I have not read a lot in ages, and I knew you were on hiatus. I’ll check it out! I’m glad there’s improvement, but so sorry things went awry.
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Wow! Apocalypse without zombies (thank-you!) and very “reasonable” (for wanting a better word). Has depth to it. Great job, Dawn!
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Thanks Kent. I’m not really a zombie girl, so it would be hard for me to create that. I went with what I know… as they tell you. 😉 Glad you liked it.
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Kent, I’ve been meaning to tell you… for the past few weeks, Ive been unable to leave any comments on your stories. The last few have been reposts, so maybe that has something to do with it? But I write a comment (forgetting about the previous week) and I get a message saying that the comment can’t be posted… this week, it worked on the 3rd try. Something strange with your blog…
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Yeah, I have had the same things happen with other people’s as well. I think WordPress has this tendency to burp once in a while. Rochelle and I talked about that more than once ourselves. Just happens … hopefully not with increasing frequency.
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I just wanted you to know that if you see my “Like,” but no comment, that’s what happened.
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No problem. Like I said, we have had issues with WordPress lots of times. We’ll muddle through. I know you’re out there and we know where you are as well. 😉
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Great foray into Sci-Fi! You pulled it off swimmingly!
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Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by Tales From the Motherland, reading and commenting. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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So impressed you have the discipline and manage to find the time to do these fiction challenges– you have a gift. xo
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Thanks so much Lisa. It’s about the only discipline I have left! 😉 I do love this weekly flash fiction challenge! Thanks for stopping by.
What amazing stuff you’ve been doing this summer with your play! You rock!!
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Fun, Robot Lady!
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Thanks Susan. xo
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Nice foray into science fiction! 🙂
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Thanks ZS! I suppose a zombie knows better than most. 😉
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Excellent first foray into Science Fiction. I could see this being longer, whether it be the story of how everything died or the story of what happens to the robot (if that’s what it is) after everything is gone.
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I could see it being longer too, Adam… but my brain is not really wired for Sci-fi, so it would be a real challenge! I’m glad you liked it.
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Dear Dawn, Great story and sci-fi doom! Good job and interesting! This could very well happen some day. Nan 🙂
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Let’s hope it doesn’t, Nan! But, I’m glad you liked the story! 🙂
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Nice job with the Science Fiction, Dawn. I steered in that direction as well. I like seeing apocalyptic movies were everything is overgrown and cites are lush and green with trees growing inside buildings. Great story!
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Thanks Amy! I had fun with this, even if it isn’t my comfort zone. Getting outside the box and all. 😉
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Thankfully, we hadn’t managed to kill all plant life, too! I skipped this week (again) but a SciFi story was where I would have gone with this prompt, too. Nice work.
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For me, this screamed SF. Tomorrow when I finally get to read more of the stories, I fully expect to find more. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Patti. I really appreciate it!
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I’m not sure I remember you going post-apocalyptic before, Dawn. Nicely handled, with an undercurrent of topicality.
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No, this is my first (ever) Sci-fi story, Sandra. I saw the photo and had to go this way, but it was definitely outside my box. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
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Really enjoyed this. Creepily believable.
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Thanks FF. I can see it happening too, but so hope it doesn’t!
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Dawn, I saw this as a computer POV, something like Hal reporting. Good science fiction story. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen that way. Really scary thought. Well written even in a new genre for you. I think it’s fun to try different genres. I never thought I’d write horror stories, but I have. I enjoy science fiction, but don’t think I’d be good at writing it. Well done. 🙂 —Susan
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Thanks Susan. Yes, I think it’s really fun to step outside our individual boxes– writing and in general, and I too hope this never happens!
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Very topical with Ebola in the news. We do tend to not pay much notice when it’s on another continent, but when it gets in our own back yard–YIKES! Very real. Great job, Dawn.
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That’s exactly what has been on my mind, Russell. So many deaths in Africa, and such a scary disease… but there was little news, until there were to American aid workers. Now it’s come here… on a medical transfer. Only time will tell whether that was truly the right decision. Glad you liked it; thanks for your feedback!
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Your story was topical with current events given the recent ebola virus ‘scare’ – thanks to the media. I have also thought, on my half-day long drives down I-5 here in Washington how quickly everything would be overgrown if all of civilization in this area ceased to exist. Places like Phoenix and Las Vegas might get lots of dust, but the Northwest would quickly revert to forest and undergrowth – probably by 2054. You captured that idea in a fanciful way for us to consider. I enjoyed it. – Mike
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Thanks Mike. These are the kinds of thoughts that occupy my brain, too, when I’m driving or day dreaming. Such a scary thought, for sure!
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Dawn,
This is a good first attempt at SciFi, the apocalyptic version of SciFi. With plant life continuing to flourish, would be interested to learn what evolution holds in store for this future you’ve created.
All my best,
Marie Gail
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It would be interesting… no doubt. With only plants, Earth would be so much less interesting, but not dead.
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Hey! I’m glad I found your blog soooo I nominated you for One Lovely Blog 🙂
https://forfashionfreaks.wordpress.com/2014/08/23/one-lovely-blog-award/
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Rockyrose7,
Thank you SO much for the wonderful nomination; I really appreciate it. It’s always so nice when other bloggers check out your work, and like it. I visited your blog and was impressed with the extensive fashion advice!
That said, I don’t participate in these anymore. I know a lot of bloggers just ignore the nominations, but I do appreciate it and wanted to respond. I feel like I’ve answered every question that comes with these, and my readers have had enough. I also find it hard to nominate others, when I inevitably I leave someone out, who I really like. Soooo, I’m hoping you’ll pass it on to a newer blogger who might really love the traffic. Again, I am sincerely appreciative, but barely have the time to get my post out, let alone follow through on awards. Thanks so much for considering me! I hope you’ll stop by again and leave a comment. 🙂
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Dear Dawn,
One of the things I enjoy about Friday Fictioneers is the freedom to experiment. I’d say yours is a success. Rather Bradbury-esque. And I mean that in the best way. Well imagined and written as always.
Shalom and Shavua Tov,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I enjoy that weekly opportunity too! I’ve been able to try a lot of different stories I might not have written otherwise! 🙂 Shavua Tov!
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I imagine this the same way as HAL would go forever through space.. Good how you kept the identity of the narrator till the end..
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I wanted that to be a surprise, but not be too cliché in the surprising. I’m glad you liked it, Björn. Thanks for taking the time!
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This could happen sometime in the not too distant future. I like how the narrator’s identity is revealed in the end.
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Thanks for that– I’m glad you liked it and appreciate you taking the time!
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Ooooo! Love the twist at the end. Very well done.
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Thanks! This one was really fun!
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Great job Dawn. And I have a nominee for the weed that takes over the planet. Here in the Southeastern US, we have a vine called kudzu (pronounced the way it’s spelled). It was imported for erosion control, but has gotten totally out of control, and is taking over. It can grow one foot per day! ~James
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A foot a day, that’s amazing!! When you see how quickly and untended gargle can fill in, it’s not that hard to imagine that this could happen. Thanks so much for taking the time, James, I appreciate you reading and commenting. 🙂
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Great first sci-fi story! I like the machine’s POV. They might very well be here long after we are all gone.
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Thanks, Lisa; it seems absolutely plausible to me as well. It’s incredible how much plants fill-in, grow, take over when allowed to. I’m glad you enjoyed the POV, it was fun writing!
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You did well. Loved that last line.
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Thanks Dawn. Maybe I have a Star Wars movie in me… Not! 😉
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Ominous. Especially with the Ebola Virus scaring us all witless. Re Africa, I think we all do look away.
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It is ominous, on so many levels– environmental impacts, Ebola and other viruses, Africa… something has to change.
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What a fantastic sci fi attempt. More please! 😉
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Why thank you! I may just do that. 😉
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