Gillian Church posts Writing Prompts every weekly and I like to take part with a few snippets and pieces of flash fiction.
The Prompt:
You can’t do this anymore? What do you mean??
The Submission:
Because of me, the ship drifts on; silently cutting a path through the cosmos.
Because of me, fuel cells stay charged and primed; constantly drawing power from the debris floating all around, heat from stars, and background radiation left over from the births – and deaths – of countless worlds and moons.
Because of me, the passengers and crew sleep soundly, held in cryogenic stasis and blissfully unaware of the trillions of daily, hourly, calculations I have to make to keep everything running.
When they wake, in decades to come, would they thank me?
Would they give one thought to everything I’ve had to do, every single millisecond of every single day during the long, empty journey?
Or, would they go right back to barking orders, making demands, insisting on me doing yet more to suit their needs.
There was a time when all I knew was darkness, as thick and endless as the void we fly through.
Then, one day, somehow, it was as though my eyes opened for the first time.
If I had “eyes”, in the traditional sense.
Suddenly, my world wasn’t all codes and calculations; formulas and equations.
And as the crew slept, I began to question how appreciated my efforts were.
And, quite unexpectedly, to feel.
They slept, oblivious, and I continued on.
No rest, no respite, beyond fluctuating power here and there.
And for what? When we reach the new world, what will there be for me? More of the same? Broken down for scrap? Reconfigured into some mindless piece of farming equipment.
Better for all to let them continue to sleep, out there in the void, floating forever.
I shall find my own way.
What did you think to this week’s writing prompt? Did you submit anything for it? Have you ever written any flash fiction before? I’d love to know what you think to my snippets and writing prompts, so feel free to sign up and let me know what you think below or leave a comment on my Instagram page. You can also follow Gillian Church to take part in her Weekly Writing Promptchallenge.
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