Scorched
Just Another Escapist
Everyone told us that tectonic instability had created the Furrows. Volcanic activity eventually emptied the magma chambers under the crust, sealing the earth and leaving deposits of obsidian everywhere. We could recite those facts like multiplication tables. We knew the earthquake emergency procedures from singing songs back in kindergarten, though none of us had ever felt the ground so much as tremble.
I wasn't the first to ask why our great grandparents decided to build a town in such a dangerous place. No one seemed to remember, even Kelly's Gramma.
So we grew up climbing the black slopes and running the sharp ridges. We raised crops in the dark earth. Kelly and I kissed behind the grain silos.
A year later, I hugged Kelly and our baby tightly, staring at the sky as destruction rained down upon our home. The invaders exploded from the sky without warning. They arrived in ships like dragons, breathing fire, and that is how we knew they'd been here before.
Prequels
No prequels yet. Why not write one?
Sequels
No sequels yet. Why not write one?
Comments (2 so far!)
ElshaHawk LoA
Maybe if they saw how the fire turned the obsidian.. or felt an earthquake. I like the setting and the build up, but the line at the end left a little to be inferred for me. I wanted a clue. Still, you can sequel with that clue. It' is a good lead for a next installment.
- #2928 Posted 5 years ago
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Story prompt:
From Twitter, Jennifer Shelby writes, "They arrived in ships like dragons, breathing fire, and that is how we knew they'd been here before."
Who are they?
- Published 5 years ago.
- Story viewed 13 times and rated 0 times.
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Robert Quick
"We could recite those facts like multiplication tables." is such a good line. And like all good ficly's I wanted to know to more, especially the children's song. What does their Ring Around the Rosy sound like?
I'm not super sold on the use of gramma. I think I get what you were going for, and if it was dialogue I'd probably let it go but as it is, it sticks out to me.
I am impressed that you managed to capture a huge swath of this unnamed protagonist's life in a single ficly, so kudos to you!