Gripping the metal rod a little tighter, Alicia tried in vain to soften the parched dirt. A relentless sun was burning in her neck, and in a basket she kept the few precious seeds that she had spared.
‘I wonder if the seeds could have saved our goat’, she mumbled, hoping that the clouds that gathered would result in rains today.
‘Remember what happened to the dinosaurs’, Martha retorted, kicking up a dust-devil that settled with pebbles. ‘Soon we’ll join the damned goat’
Alicia felt anger building, but just like failing thunderstorms it faded into sobs:
‘We will leave tonight’
A little dystopian story today… I wonder if this is where we are all heading.
Friday Fictioneers are writing stories to the same picture every week. There is a limitation of 100 words that we are normally not ostracized for missing. I do not think that Rochelle ever count the words, but I always try to hit it exactly. Join the fun, or read some of the other stories from this creative bunch of people.
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May 27, 2015
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Good build up to the end Bjorn. Only question is – where are they going?
I think that is the big question here.
Good stuff. Tense.
Thank you 🙂
If it is so rough that a goat can’t survive, it’s time to go, but where?. Anger can keep her from giving up. Great story, very sad and already true for many, I’m afraid.
I think this could very well be so .. and it will be the truth for many more I think
poor goat. and soon, poor them.
Oh I hope they know somewhere to go.
At least they are thinking proactively and getting out instead of holding on and hoping for the rain. Over the weekend I was watching survival shows and the lack of water was a key element. It is so important to life. Without it, we die.
Water is so extremely essential.. we cannot survive without.
A hard life now and in the future. I wonder whether they ate the goat?
I’m sure they ate the goat.
Well described scene. Felt like I wanted a bit more at the end. However, that’s not a bad sign.
I wanted to leave an open end for once.. but you are right I ran a little short.
The scene described was bleak…but the way it’s written is rich ..”‘like failing thunderstorms it faded into sobs” was beautiful.
I think it’s hard for me to write without similes and metaphors.
I can empathize 🙂
So many people are getting too much rain or not enough. What a sad state of affairs. Nicely written piece, this is. (P.S. love the name of the main character!) Alicia
A lovely name indeed 🙂
Interesting goat story, Bjorn. Makes me think I should bring back my 7-sentence stories….. Have a great day!
A small mystery. Nicely done.
Cut your losses I guess.
DJ
This fits the prompt well, Bjorn; it has a bleak look to it. I’m wondering the same as you: how many stories will involve dystopian scenarios or something monstrous. Maybe I’ll take a tally. 🙂
It thought it was interesting that both of our stories involved goats, especially since I put mine in there randomly. Great minds think alike, I guess. 🙂
-David
I like “dust devil” but hope that your scenario is not one we will be experiencing in the future. I don’t know where they will escape too at that point although if you don’t want to end up like the goat I guess you have to make an attempt to find somewhere.
You’ve set a very bleak scene. Your descriptions are most evocative, and the characters’ frustration and despair come through strongly.
Dear Björn,
A bleak look into what I hope is a fictitious future. Disturbingly well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Oh dear, that’s a pessimistic outlook!
Rosey Pinkerton’s blog
Great story, you painted the scene very well. I hope there’s somewhere for them to go.
Its not the just the future. The graziers have had to put down livestock during the recent droughts so we are already there. Nicely penned.
Doomed. Is that how you visualise our future? Gave me the shivers, anyhow!
The goat always dies first. (I just made that up, but it sounds right).
🙂
Typo? The sun burns on her neck not in her neck?
What a bleak future. You wrote the scene very well.
No, not the poor goats. I love their smiling little faces. Will our animals just go extinct one by one? That is a sad thought.
at first, i thought “going with the dinosaurs” would be the perfect title. but, on second reading, i finally realized “going with the goat” really made sense. well done.
I just read two funny stories in a row and then this one.
Sigh….
Good story; you really know how to build interest! Could be the intro to a much longer piece.
Ace.
But leave to where?
Great description of a very bleak scenario. I hope they manage to find somewhere to start again. 🙂
Dear Bjorn, Great story and if this does happen some day, pity those still living, as they will receive even our part of the punishment. Good job! Nan 🙂
I have felt like some things are about to go loose. A beautifully written piece. Thank you!
I wonder if we are, too. No rain here yet this spring. I’m reading a book call Active Hope to give me hope and not fall in with the dinosaurs.
Lily
I hope this isn’t a prediction of how it will be for the whole human race ultimately. It’s bad enough that there are many people in this predicament already. I get the feeling that the ones in your story had nowhere to go but it was better to keep moving until they dropped rather than lay down and die where they were.
Wow, great piece! What a sense of desperation, what will they do? I guess the goat didn’t appease the gods, hope he was delicious at least!
I hope that’s not where we’re all headed. Some places are getting that way now. The desert is moving in. Good story with a great feeling of desperation. Well done, Bjorn. — Suzanne
Loved the title and all your descriptive language.