Saturday, June 11, 2011

Saturday Centus

Wow -- we get two hundred words this week! It's like that episode of Seinfeld when Kramer adopts a highway, and decides that means he can make his highway all roomy and luxurious by removing the center stripe. Two hundred words! What luxury!

Anyway, it's back to science fiction this time:

Norah looked down at the waves lapping gently at the base of the wall. Here, it seemed rather prosaic – almost Earthlike – but there were other places along this wall's length where enormous waves, born from fathomless depths, smashed each day against the wall's foundations with more force than any wave that had ever been recorded back on Earth.

"How old is the Wall, Professor?"

"The Wall was built long ago. Those who built it would be like gods to us."

"Why did they build it?"

"No one knows."


Why would they build such a thing? What possible use could there be for a wall running the entire length of a planet's equator, restraining all of that world's oceans to its northern hemisphere? The magnificent majesty of it! The sheer arrogance to attempt a construct like this, and the staggering skill to actually do it.

Back on her ship, Norah wept. The Wall was beautiful. But the Prophet of Mars had spoken:

"Only God may remake worlds."

Norah pressed the detonator, and flew away without looking back as the oceans surged through a thousand breaches. God's will be done – but she'd remember the Wall intact.

12 comments:

Dazee Dreamer said...

Ok, that was awesome. And I'm usually not much of a science fiction type person. Great job.

Jo said...

oh ... Nora rocks!!! ... so interesting!

Christine said...

We are an arrogant planet, on the shores of my family cottage we spend summer after summer building retaining walls to protect our luxury. Last week, the water won, every single cottage is now surrounded by the lake. This post hit home for me, well done.

Nonna Beach said...

Excellent job !

You pondered every corner of the situation in this tightly wound tale and created a new set of questions to think about and then fear the answers ...that's brilliant SciFi writing and I loved it !

Susan Anderson said...

Wow. This was great!

=)

Kat said...

This was a brilliant use of the prompt. You managed to create an entire world and a strong protagonist in 200 words - no small feat! Kat

Belladonna said...

I love this piece. But as much as I savored each sentence, it really leaves me wanting MORE. DEVELOP THIS. It needs telling.

Judie said...

OMG! I wasn't expecting that! Excellent post! Brava!!!

Jenny said...

I agree with Belladonna! So many of your stories leave me feeling that exact same way.

When are you publishing your book? I'm more than happy to pre-order a few copies!

Great writing.

Lynn said...

Oh wow! That was awesome.

Quince said...

Calling a people arrogant, invoking God then hiting a detonator button all the while admiring the culture. How Enola Gay is that?

I'm left not thinking so much of Nora.

Tgoette said...

Wow, that was awesome! So glad to have you on board for a weekly sci-fi fix! Another brilliant effort!