Millions of years have passed, and all evidence of a technological society has melted away in the earth’s core. Two people have survived in an unknown green zone; a man and a woman. Others live in the wastelands, but they have been too busy to seek them out. A child is on the way, and the woman must stay healthy. After taking a bite out of an apple, she offered it to her husband.
Category: Microfiction
Microfiction – Apple
Every atom in the universe stilled as the toxic energy from one spread to them all. Leaving an apple with two bites out of it lying on the ground beneath the Tree of Life, fruit it no longer bears.
Microfiction – The Night
The short night, the long day.
“It’s too hot, Pappy.”
The long night, the long day.
“I hate raking leaves, Pappy.”
The long night, the short day.
“It’s too cold, Pappy.”
The long night, the long day.
“My allergies are killing me, Pappy.”
The short night, the long day.
“It’s too humid, Pappy. Pappy, are you listening to me?”
“Hush, I’m thinking.”
“About what?”
“The night I should have kept my pants on.”
Microfiction – Who Made Us
“Mom, who made us?”
“God, I guess.”
“Who made God?”
“I don’t know.”
“My friend Billy said we came from two atoms smashing together. If that’s so, who made atoms?”
“I don’t know.”
“Drew said, aliens. Could he be right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lisa said we came from nothing. Does that mean we don’t exist?”
“I don’t know, but it seems like your friends think they do — I can tell you this.”
“What?”
“You came from me, and I love you very much.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Microfiction – Hero
“You don’t become a hero with the pinning of a badge,” said the Captain to the rookie.
“If not then, when?” he asked.
“You’re about to find out,” he replied as they arrived at a fully involved high rise fire. “People trapped on the third floor. Are you ready, kid?”
Microfiction – The snake slithered by
A bee flew to a flower for its nectar. Landing, he asked, “Where are the others?”
“They have all died. I am the only one left. Where are the bees?”
“They have died also. I am the only one left.”
“What happened?”
“The snake said the flowers were using us, so we stayed away.”
“The snake told us the bees were stealing our nectar, so we hid from them.”
“We should have never listened; we needed each other to survive.”
As the flower wilted, the bee fell to the ground beside her. And the snake slithered by.
Microfiction – The 8th Day
“You can hate me if you like, but I’m doing it anyway.” Drew turned the key and pushed the button. His comment was to God, and the hell he unleashed from beneath the ground was nuclear. World War III had begun.
Fiery mushrooms were exploding in every country, including Drew’s, and they were all poisonous. City after city, life after life perished from the earth in an instance. Was it worth it? he thought.
Climbing to the surface, he let the radiation take him. It was the 8th day, and God said, “Let there be darkness.”
Microfiction – The last game
Game day, the players are running out onto the field for Super Bowl LIII. The fans are screaming for their favorite team, and the excitement is intensifying.
Outside 200 mini-drones have been released from multiple vehicles staged around the city. As they close in on Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they merge together to form 20 attack squadrons.
The first squadrons hit the front glass of the stadium with one mini explosion after another, clearing the way for the rest to fly through. Inside they release their deadly cargo over the fans. Panicked, they rush the exits killing more people as they flee. A sports center reporter describing the event is spotted by one last drone. It heads straight for him and detonates.
Game day is over. The remaining drones fly out of the stadium and into the city streets, causing more chaos until their batteries die.
Microfiction – Sheeple
Sheeple, you have a problem, the grid has gone down, and your modern world has just disappeared into the dark. The car you let run down to almost empty will not get refueled. The gas pumps no longer work, and the tanks will be siphoned out by looters within days.
As you walk home, you look up and notice something you haven’t seen in a while. A night sky full of bright stars that were once hidden by our electric light pollution.
Moving along, you sense the fear growing in the others around you who want the same thing; power, your entire lives have revolved around it. It did everything for you.
As the last bit of light fades from their screens, people call out, “Mom! mom, are you still there,” cries one. “Honey, I’ll be home soon,” says another. You look at your phone, but it’s already dead. No reflection shines off your face.
The cyberattack that took down the power grid was well planned, and the entire nation is in the dark. You listen to the news coming from an emergency radio carried by the girl next to you. The others listen too, and panic sets in as a nearby stores get looted.
When you get home, you look in the freezer for something to eat and take out a frozen dinner. Instinctively, you swing around to open the microwave door. Pausing, the gravity of the situation sets in, and you sink to the floor in tears, not knowing what to do. Tonight you are safe, but what about tomorrow?
Timothy French 