Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wednesday Writing Prompt: You wake up here, what next?

It's the beginning of summer (in the Northern hemisphere, anyway). You've been plodding along through work, school, or life in general, and the thought crosses your mind that you might be getting stuck in a rut.

One night, peering out the window, you notice a lighting storm in the distance. It seems to be headed your way, so you unplug your computer and then go to bed as usual. Strange dreams plague you, mostly nonsense, and you're pretty sure at one point you remember something about a giant robot.

Morning comes, and sleep hangs tightly onto your eyelids. You lay in your soft bed, wondering why it seems so much brighter than usual in your room, and why you're still so tired. For that matter, what's wrong with the bed? It's all... sandy...

You open your eyes, and see this:



What happened, and what's going to happen next?

4 comments:

  1. That lightning storm? Intergalactic struggle for possession of Earth. When a pair of soldiers from opposite sides of the battle got close, the enemy ripped off the roof of the apartment and grabbed me as a hostage. Earth's defender hesitated, at which point I discovered that whoever had designed the giant robots had constructed them poorly. I slipped out of its grasp, crawled up into the gears through an access hole in the wrist, and worked my way into the pilot chamber, where I disconnected the pilot's control center. Since the pilots usually drive while being fully strapped in, this left him helpless and the robot under manual - meaning my - control. I tried my hand at driving it around after assuring the friendly soldier that I was in charge, but it turns out I don't actually know how to fly a giant robot. We ended up crash-landing on a tropical island.

    I crawled out and let the friendly soldier take the robot away, lay down and took a nap.

    Now that it's morning, I'm going to call him back and ask I can please have a ride home. Only suspect that he'll have to take me to the base, as I've witnessed the giant robots, where they'll probably train me to join the team.

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  2. As I look around, I realize that my dream about shooting a faulty gun at an attacker has sequed into something less fatal. Consciousness tugs at me, threatening to end the spill of sunshine around me, and I fight to let reality go, to allow myself to be pulled deeper into this paradise.

    I stand up and dust sand off the back of my thighs. I'm wearing a rainbow striped bikini, and my thighs are both tanner and trimmer than I know them to be. Rhinestones glued to peachy toenails sparkle as I walk. May I never wake up.

    I head to a nearby cabana, assuming that it belongs to me. Soft breezes play with curtains printed with red Hibiscus blooms. In the entry way, a bamboo table topped with glass holds an array of sliced fruits. I grab a slice of mango and taste its powdery sweetness.

    Voices sound above the gentle whish of the ocean, and a tightness begins in my stomach and leaves my forearms cold. Two men in full black uniform, with machine guns strapped to their right sides argue on the other side of the merry curtains. I look for someplace to hide.

    Rushing through the small house, I check see a small closet, a bathroom, a bed. I don't know what I'm running from, but I know I must run. I hurry out a back door and run towards the water, my breathe heaving silently in my chest. The see me just as I jump into the water.

    Bullets whizz by my head and speed through the water. Swimming and breathing become my main focus. The sound of dogs barking of the beach travels through the choppiness.

    A bullet slices by my head, grazing my nose.

    The pain rouses me from my dream. I jump up, unsure of reality, then notice that I am holding my nose, and it feels wet. I stumble to the bathroom and flip on the light. A large drop of blood hangs perilously from my nose's tip. Why is my nose bleeding? I must have scratched myself. I grab a handful of toilet paper and hold it against my nose as I settle back into bed.

    I'm back in the cabana, and the fruit is still there. I pick up a slice of kiwi and walk to the bed, piled high with white bedding. It's as inviting as a cloud, and I burrow into it. Now I only hear the water, and the distant calls of gulls. I take the escalator of consciousness down, down, down. What happens next? I have no idea.

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    Replies
    1. Oooh... I'm sensing a suspense movie from this... Or maybe a Twilight Zone-type thriller? Great story!

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