Friday Fictioneers : For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

 

Pristine white arches stretched over the dark corridor. The starship’s floor was warm beneath her feet, the restless air scented with plastic and engine oil. Machinery hummed – a dull, comforting throb.

She tried to control her breathing, tried not to glance into the alcoves as she followed the trail of winking lights. She knew what lay inside – egg-shaped pods, their glass lids sealed, the placid oval of a sleeping human face visible in each.

She was the last awake, the only one who’d heard the distress call from home – to know the heartbreaking truth.

‘Sleep well,’ she whispered.

 

Written for Rochelle Wisoff-Field’s Friday Fictioneers. See the prompt photo and write a 100 word tale. See here to join in and to read the other stories.

The title comes from Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, from the speech beginning,

To be or not to be?

59 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers : For in that sleep of death what dreams may come”

    1. Yes, I have watched the Alien films way too often … 🙂 Thanks Iain, and there’s nothing like taking your title from Shakespeare to add a certain gravitas to your writing is there? Warranted or not 🙂

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  9. I wish this had been the way that Jenifer Lawrence / Chris Pratt movie went. I haven’t seen it, but I’m sure your writing it would have been marvelous for it, Lynn. Nice work! 🙂

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      1. No, the movie is getting good notices and I think the concept is intriguing. I’m just saying that maybe your contributions would have made it better. Hollywood relies too much on re-hashing everything, you don’t see much originality. That’s why I think our authors here would do it justice because they have original thoughts and can put a fresh spin on things.

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      2. Sadly, though, I think big businesses like Hollywood – and publishing too – don’t actually seek out too much originality. They like to walk that fine line between producing a formulaic product with a very slight twist. Though you’re quite right, many of the FF writers are terrifically talented people. Perhaps we’ll see some of our names on the end of big budget movies one day – you never know 🙂

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      3. I’d like to teach screenwriting sometime. I know enough about it. Also, Harve Bennett, who produced The Six Million Dollar Man said that the audience is like a kid who likes to hear the same story over and over and doesn’t want anything new. It’s true. Hollywood IS a business that’s bigger than it used to be in the 1940’s. Studio names are now companies rather than the people who founded them. Probably why things are the way they are. FF needs to have its own studio. 🙂

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      4. Haha! Great idea. It’s because films are so expensive that studios are so scared to take risks. Why would you want to risk 100 million plus dollars on a film – something that could sink your company if it fails – on something that isn’t a sure fire hit? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Same with publishing. The book buying market is now too small to take too many risks – the big publishers leave the small presses or self-publishers to do that, then swoop in to offer big money only if something is already successful, The Martian being a good example

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      5. Yes, it is a business, you are SO right. The good thing about now, though, is opportunities are VERY much abound with the internet. If you play your cards right in marketing yourself, you can really make some decent money, avoid the middle-man and get the audience for it. But, like anything worthwhile, it takes work. But it’s GOOD work because you build community first.

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      6. Yes, you’re right – the problem for most writers is we’re not very good at self promotion, want to spend all our time writing when just the marketing side – done well – is a full time job. The most succeesful self-published authors I’ve heard of were in marketing before they began to write, which definitely says something. More democratic, you’re right, but then democracy can be a poisoned chalice 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much, Alicia. Yes, you’re right, it would be perhaps the loneliest place I can think of. Alone and knowing your planet’s gone? Awful. Thanks for reading 🙂

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  15. This reminds me of a movie I saw over Christmas ‘Passangers’ but they were sleep to go to a new place. And in this one, I get the idea they’re sleeping to return to earth later, when it’s better. But it doesn’t seem like that’s in the cards for anyone. Will they ever wake up and to what?

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  19. This is great writing, Lynn. And so sad. At least they had some hope of escaping to another place. We only have one home… And the Alien movies are among my all-time favs, too.

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    1. Thank you so much, Michael for the lovely feedback. The toughest position to be in – let’s hope the character has the strength to see things through

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