Settlers from the constellation Canes Venatici arrived on Earth five centuries too late for contact with humans. They’d expected to find a blue and green world teeming with wildlife, but instead found a place of eternal winter.
They searched for answers beneath the snow, as there was little on the surface to show that civilisation had ever existed.
In an excavated block of ice, a human male sat cross-legged. Flesh covered his bones and he had a black beard. Next to him rested a four-legged creature with thick lips, long eyelashes, an extended neck, and a hump on its back.
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Friday Fictioneers: 100 word stories
Photo Prompt: image © Douglas M. MacIlroy
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Sarah Potter Writes 
Dear Sarah,
I guess you could say the Bedouin was “Flash-Frozen.” 😉
There’s an eerie chill to your story that goes beyond sub degree temps. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
LOL I did consider calling it “Flash-Frozen” but decided that “Quick” had a harder, icier sound to it.
Glad you found it eerie. Thanks.
All best wishes
Sarah
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A very different take on the prompt. Love the title!
I like to imagine they think he’s buried with his wife – lovely eyelashes.
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Thank you 😉 I suppose aliens could think that at first sight!
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Scary …Nice description of the humble camel.
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Thank you 🙂 I had to make sure to match the right type of camel with the right tribesman, or the story would have fallen flat. Wonderful what research throws up, even for a 100 word story.
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Chilling thought … eternal winter. Nice descriptions of the finds in the blocks of ice. I wish I had long eyelashes like that! A very appropriate title, too. Well written, Sarah.
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Thank you, Millie 🙂 When I was younger, I used to have long eyelashes but not ones like a camel! If I tried wearing mascara, they looked like spider legs, so I didn’t wear mascara D:
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I’ve never suited mascara. It always made me look as though someone had given me a pair of black eyes! I wouldn’t like to look like a camel either- lol – but longer eyelashes would have been nice. 🙂
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I love that, the often used scifi-setting of the lost civilization turned around. And the bedouin was the icing on the cake. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 I’ll never tire of lost civilisation scenarios.
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Considering the winter WE had (not so much you.. 😉 ) this is something I should have thought of!
Loved it… Great take on the prompt! You managed to kill off another one… Not too gruesomely though… quick frozen shouldn’t have been too painful…
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Thanks, Dale 🙂
Yes, I’m always killing off people in my short fiction. It doesn’t happen so much in my novels, as I’ve “known” the characters longer.
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Oh so you’re a love ’em and leave ’em type unless they manage to make it past 100? 😉
I love your stories! Will have to check out your novels.
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You won’t find any of my novels, as they keep getting rejected by publishers on the grounds that they’re too original! I’ve had a few near misses on the rare occasions that I’ve managed to stick rigidly to genre. Neil Gaiman is my role model, but he’s a genius so he gets away with crossing genres. I’m toying with the idea of self-publishing, but am not yet convinced it’s the right thing for me.
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As I’m reading your comment, the thought crosses my mind: Why doesn’t she self-publish?
Why do you think it’s not the right thing? It’s one way to get it out there and, once you’ve had a great response (see how I made that all positive?) Then a publishing house will not be able to refuse!
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Hee, hee, hee, Dale you sound just like Mister. He’s nag, nag, nag about self-publishing 😉 I tell him that when and if the spirit moves, I’ll do it.
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Here’s hoping the spirit moves you…;-)
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Nice simile for that ‘dating’ organisation advert. I had to check you were a Brit before I wrote this. Good one. I love the ad and I really liked this.
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An unwitting simile, as I profess to ignorance re a dating organisation advert. Do tell me about it. If it’s one that’s on TV, I admit to recording anything that’s showing on commercial channels, just so I can fast-forward the adverts.
Anyway, Sandra, I’m glad you liked my story 🙂
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Something says me this once was Sahara.
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Indeed it was.
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love the image and love your story. If you look further there could be a frozen dune mouse!
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Oh, dear. As long as it’s not called Cybele!
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dune mice will probably quietly burrow underground to survive!!
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Nice. Love the ironic ending and the idea of someone freezing to death in the desert. What an image that creates.
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Thank you, Anne. I suspect it’s an ending that’s not beyond the bounds of possibility way off in the future! Although, apparently, even in our hottest deserts (due to the lack of cloud cover at night) the temperature can plummet far enough for there to be frost or even snow, which of course melts away immediately the sun shows its face.
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Love where this is taking your story Sarah…I’m intrigued and also very cold…brrrrrrr 🙂 xxxxx
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Thank, Sherri. Glad to have intrigued you, but sorry to have made you feel cold — as if you needed any further help, considering how cold that easterly wind has been. As I’m typing this, my index finger is a whitish-blue in colour, despite the sun shining outside. xxxx
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It’s gone so cold again hasn’t it? Let’s hope it warms up again soon and your poor index finger returns to its normal colour 😮 xxxx
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It’s back to normal today, thanks to wearing my thermal vest, t-shirt, polo neck cashmere jumper, and ski jumper (plus a puffer jacket at breakfast this morning!). xxxx
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🙂 xxxx
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Scary but also entirely possible…
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