Friday Fictioneers: Cooked

PHOTO PROMPT Copyright- The Reclining Gentleman

When the grey first came, people said, “Not to worry. It will pass.” But the greenhouse gases built up, temperate climates hit 43ËšC midwinter, and the sea-levels rose, gobbling up all the coastal resorts.

Those people who survived, congregated on high ground and walked around naked, gasping and wheezing.

It had all started with microscopic weather manipulation devices placed inside the lids of waste-disposal bins around the world: so much more effective than pumping silver oxide into the atmosphere from above. The aliens were time-travellers, which meant they could wipe us out and colonise our planet in under five minutes.

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Photo Prompt: The Reclining Gentleman
Friday Fictioneers — 100-word stories

Author: Sarah Potter Writes

Sarah is a British eccentric who writes offbeat fiction, haiku and tanka poetry. When stuck for words, she sketches or paints instead. She's into nature conservation, sustainability, gardening, dogs, natural health, and reading. Her sociability is something that happens in short bursts with long breathing spaces in between.

41 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers: Cooked”

  5. You do these so well and so succinctly. I probably liked the last paragraph the most, because up until then I was guessing anthropogenic. And I love twists like that. And now that you mention it, those bins do look Dalek-like! 🙂

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  6. Very chilling! You know, I will say I thought there was something funny about the logo on that trash can! But after considering this for about 5 minutes, I guess it would have been too late for me… thanks for the fun story!

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    1. Dear Rochelle

      Thanks, but perish the thought that I’d send anyone running for their Risperdal 😉

      I really must write something sweet and romantic occasionally. Believe it or not, I can manage it, although even some of my romances tend to be between unhinged people.

      All the best
      Sarah

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  10. They’re pretty unfriendly aliens. And they’re onto a foolproof plan, given our tendency to put our heads in the sand. A great idea and a scary surprise ending. Most enjoyable.

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    1. Thank you, Margaret.
      Whenever people talk about making contact with aliens, I have this background fear that the aliens will be so advanced, we’ll be of no more significance to them other than as food or as the equivalent of small insects to crush underfoot. I used to scare myself silly with this notion as a child, but that didn’t stop me UFO spotting: neither did my fear of monsters lurking under my bed stop me reading about monsters. And my two favourite things to buy at the newsagents as a child (nothing girlie, oh, no) — Eagle Comic and Amazing Stories!

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    1. Yes, I suppose aliens might assess us as heading for disaster anyway, and say the equivalent of ‘What the hell … why not hurry the inevitable along for those planet-wrecking humans?’

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