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?
Powerful sci-fi, very filmic quality. Thanks for including where the title came from – that would have bugged me for days trying to remember! 🙂
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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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So many films set in space have borrowed from Alien over the years, the first one is a classic, I remember studying it at university.
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Very true – still a classic now 🙂
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I’m glad you did a sci-fi take. The image screamed sci-fi to me
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Couldn’t resist! Thanks Neil 🙂
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Yes, wondeful take indeed! To think it is the basement of a winery in Tuscany! 😉 A very OLD winery…
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Is that where it is? It’s a lovely piece of architecture – thanks for putting the pic forward for the prompt, very inspiring 🙂
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It’s the Castello Giocondo winery near Sienna. Glad you liked!
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Beautiful! 🙂
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I hope she can sleep well even when knowing… at least she can tell the news when they are all awake on a fresh planet.
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Let’s hope they make it that far … Thanks Bjorn 🙂
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I chose time travel, but this was the other option, at least for me.
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It lends itself to those genres, doesn’t it? Thank you James 🙂
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Wow. Really poetic and atmospheric.
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Thank you so much. Really nice of you 🙂
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Superb, as ever.
Great descriptive build-up, great finish.
And a touch of pathos.
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Thank you C. Who knows if they’ll ever wake – but an eternal sleep isn’t the worst end, is it? 🙂
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There is an element of hope — that the starship reaches a new world for those who slept through the alarm clock.
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Very true. All seems bad now, but who knows what may come in the future. Thanks so much Lorraine 🙂
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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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I haven’t seen that one either – is it meant to be very bad? Thank you Kent for the lovely comment 🙂
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Dear Lynn,
I love the title which gives us a light hint of where your story goes. You set the scene and the tone very well. Brava!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you so much Rochelle. You’re very kind 🙂
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Who knew sci-fi could be so heart wrenching! Fabulous.
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Ah, thank you so much, Louise. Glad it worked for you 🙂
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Being alone with everyone else “asleep” in space would be terrifying! You captured that very well.
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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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Poor girl. Such a burden with no one to share it with. There’s more to this story.
Tracey
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Thank you Tracey. I think you’re right – unimaginably hard, in the blackness of space and all alone. Thank you for reading 🙂
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Beautiful atmospherics you have created.
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Thank you Neel! I do like to create a strong atmosphere, so to here this is great. Thanks for reading
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Thanks so much Neel and thanks for reading 🙂
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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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Good question – and I’m not sure I can answer it. It’s not going to be easy, whatever happens! Thanks Amanda
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Great descriptions Lynn.
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Thank you Clare! 🙂
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No going back, I suspect. At least not to where they came from. A very apt take on the prompt, and movingly executed.
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Thank you Sandra. Yes, they might be on a one way trip, I suspect
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Very well written! Has a quiet sense of power to it.
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Thanks Ashley. Really good of you to take the time and to comment 🙂
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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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Thanks Gabi. Not sure what that new life will be like, but let’s hope they have the chance to make one.
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Very well written with an eerie surreal feel.
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Thank you so much Dahlia 🙂 Lovely of you to say so
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Great post
Amazing
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Liked the enormous burden on the one last awake. The rest don’t ever need to know and can dream sweetly. Good atmospheric and emotional sci-fi
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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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No doubt I’d be frightened if I discovered I was all alone.
A great sci-fi story with great imagery.
Isadora 😎
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Thank you so much Isadora. I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the lovely comment 🙂
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Your vivid story has me a little frightened.
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In a good way, I hope 🙂 Thanks so much for reading Dawn
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