28 responses to “Microcosms 17”

1. 

   Bill Engleson

   22 April 2016

   The Traveller

   Is this the shape of it?
   The sorrow of it?
   Tubular?
   Tubercular?
   Hollow?
   Is it a surge of joy
   choking
   his crimson lungs
   taking the young,
   gasping,
   grasping their fear,
   screaming in the stratosphere,
   dreaming
   a storm of rain,
   of violets
   and violence
   and supple violins?

   I scramble along
   the parapet,
   teeter,
   afraid of falling.

   Is this what I see?
   A universe
   no longer
   pouring out its heart
   with poetry
   and body parts?

   Is this the shape of it?
   I can reach out
   and touch
   the fullest of moons,
   this night,
   reaching down,
   up,
   beseeching
   the emptiest of hearts.

   Is this the shape of it?

   105 words with space between
   @billmelaterplea
   astronaut, (purple) rain, poetic-drama

   Reply
2. 

   CR Smith

   22 April 2016

   WC 100 @carolrosalind
   Astronauts – (Purple) Reign – Drama

   What The Purple One Wants, The Purple One Gets

   O Purple One has spoken.
   She wasn’t impressed with the last interstellar miscellany. We need fresh blood. I’ve sent our astronauts to scour the universe.

   “O Purple Two, Sir, we’ve found the place by following the music, it’s drifting out. The planet rocks, there’s so much to choose from.”

   “Bring me a sample of each. Which species are they?”

   “Human.”

   “Ahhhh! Known for amusing repartee, get me some humorists as well. But remember, non should be too old.”

   “Sir, It may take a while, we can only take one at a time. These people are worshiped. They will be missed.”

   Reply
3. 

   D. E. Park

   22 April 2016

   I Could While Away the Hours
   Dave @ParkInkSpot
   108 words. Scarecrow/Outer space/Sci-fi
   —-
   OUTER SYSTEM SENTINEL 210 MESSAGE: PROBABLE DRIVE SIGNATURES DETECTED AT 3E+08KM AND CLOSING.

   There are response systems beyond my control. The reactor comes up to full power and the satellite begins broadcasting over a variety of frequencies, radar, lasers, even particle beams.

   Nineteen other satellites identical to this one link up an array and begin scanning the outer system for target locks. We’re prepared to aim barrels, open missile hatches, and simulate an orbital defensive position. That’s all ersatz, a sham.

   The primary race abandoned this system eons ago. My brothers and I are achingly lonely. Why did they think it necessary to install brains in their scarecrows?

   Reply
4. 

   Brian S Creek

   22 April 2016

   WHAT HAPPENED TO CRIMSON TEAM?

   * * *

   Brian S Creek
   106 words (ignoring hyphens!)
   @BrianSCreek
   #FlashDog
   Astronaut / Rain / Drama

   * * *

   – – – INCOMING TRANSMISSION – – –

   – – – mander Adam Parker, last remaining member of Crimson Mission Team. I’ve made it back to Outpost Delta 77 but the airlock is sealed. I’m trapped outside and it’s closing – – –

   – – –

   – – – Jackson was right; we should have stayed away. But I guess that’s not in our nature, is it? We poked around where we shouldn’t have and now it’s angry. It’s so very, very ang – – –

   – – – stay away. You have to stay – – –

   – – – Oh God it’s nearly here. It’s going to get me like it got the others. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. The rain is coming. I don’t want to – – –

   – – – END TRANSMISSION – – –

   Reply
   1. 

      Geoff Holme

      23 April 2016

      – – – INCOMING COMMENT – – –

      – – – FIVE stars, Bri – – –

      – – –

      – – – pacing is brilliant. It’s so very, very TEN – – –

      – – – nearly pointed out that “Oh God” needs an exclamation mark, or at least a com – – –

      – – – don’t want you thinking I’m a JACK – – –

      – – – different from the home life of our own dear QUEEN! – – –

      – – – KING ACE! – – –

      – – – END COMMENT – – –

      Reply
5. 

   Ashley Gardana

   22 April 2016

   Polycarbonate

   Behind this helmet of polycarbonate,
   each breath warms my face,
   the condensation bubbles like droplets,
   and I remember;
   I miss the rain.

   Beyond this helmet of polycarbonate,
   blue earth cuts the purple of space,
   I see more ocean than land
   and I remember;
   I miss the rain.

   Before this helmet of polycarbonate,
   early morning thunderstorms,
   and a window view aside a cup of tea,
   and I remember;
   I miss the rain.

   But for this helmet of polycarbonate,
   I would plunge from orbit,
   my life would slip by,
   and then maybe
   I would feel the rain.

   ~~~

   95 words
   Astronaut/Rain/Drama
   @agardana09

   Reply
6. 

   Holly Geely

   22 April 2016

   And I Quote
   110 words
   @hollygeely
   Astronaut, purple rain, drama (the personal kind)

   “One small step for man, one giant leap for – ”

   “Phelps! If you say that on one more planet, I’ll poke a hole in your oxygen tank,” growled Schlotzky.

   “C’mon, man.”

   “You’re not even human.”

   “Hey,” said Phelps. “My mom’s human. I’ve got half a right to quote human history.”

   Schlotzky hated Phelps, to a degree that only those trapped in close quarters can understand.

   Purple drops descended from clouds which, until now, had resembled Earth’s. Schlotzky collected some in a vial for testing.

   “What’s this? This planet’s supposed to be water-based,” he said.

   Phelps giggled. “We’re not in Kansas any – ”

   The court-martial was totally worth it.

   Reply
   1. 

      Ashley Gardana

      22 April 2016

      I laughed aloud at, “You’re not even human.” Great job!

      Reply
      1. 

         Bill Engleson

         22 April 2016

         Totally fun…a little levity to levitate us off this mortal coil, eh.
   2. 

      Geoff Holme

      23 April 2016

      Great job, Holly. We can always depend on you to give us a treat in the sci-fi department.

      The last line was totally worth it! 🙂

      Reply
7. 

   geoff

   22 April 2016

   The Life and Death of a Star
   @geofflepard 103 words pop/rockstar – bathtub – drama
   Tom Major wanted to be a famous rock star. He practised assiduously, but his nerves held him back.
   In private he was the best but on stage he crumbled. Desperate he began to medicate legally and then illegally. Finally, after spurning one opportunity too many, he returned to his seedy bedsit to end it all.
   He lay in the bath, depressing the needle with brown stained fingers and waited for the end. As he began to fade, something snagged his attention – music echoed from the plughole: a whole new undiscovered dimension to rock music. He died knowing he could have been a genius.

   Reply
   1. 

      Geoff Holme

      26 April 2016

      “Tom Major”… HA! Nice one, Geoff. Tragic tale of unfulfilled talent – story of my life!
      [ “music echoed from the plughole” 🙂 : classical guitarist Richard Durrant talks about “The sonic properties of life. A piece of banana going up a hoover pipe, an osteopath coaxing a crack out of a backbone…” ]

      Reply
8. 

   stellakateT

   22 April 2016

   @stellakateT
   #FlashDog
   110 words
   Astronaut / Purple Rain / Drama

   Purple rain hit the windows with such force. Sam had seen nothing like it being his first stint in space. He wondered if he should mention it to the others but he didn’t want them to laugh at the newbie.

   The shade of purple reminded him of the purple wrapped sweets in a box of Roses. Hazelnut wrapped in caramel he felt a pang of homesickness; it was his mum’s favourite.

   If he’d have known this was going to be his last memory he probably would have gone for Leicester winning the league. Singing Purple Rain to Houston he’d left them with a conundrum, the last words from Gemini XIII.

   Reply
   1. 

      Geoff Holme

      26 April 2016

      The curse of the newbie. Nice one, Stella – fingers crossed for the Leicester “recollection”!

      [ “purple wrapped sweets in a box of Roses. Hazelnut wrapped in caramel…” Quality Street, my dear: nothing escapes the encyclopaedic knowledge of… The Pedant… BWA-HA-HA-HA!! ]

      Reply
9. 

   Brady Koch

   22 April 2016

   Nautilus: Above and Below

   In her last video log for her daughter, Captain Darla remarked how cumulus clouds looked just like mashed potatoes from her vantage point on the space station. Underneath, bobbing on the ocean waves strapped into her emergency capsule, the clouds looked heavy; threatening to fall and crush her.

   She struggled against her harness, certain her femur had shattered with the impact. The captain felt what she most feared hit her cheek: a raindrop. The sprinkle accelerated into a downpour. Her safety belt was jammed. Panicked, Darla redoubled her efforts to escape from the safety device before the pod filled with water and dragged her to the bottom of the Pacific.

   astronaut/rain/drama
   110 words
   @BradyTheWriter

   Reply
10. 

    Emily Clayton

    22 April 2016

    Emily Clayton
    @emilyiswriting
    someone with heterochromia/Y2K/sci-fi
    99 words

    “Hey, numbnuts, you know what tomorrow is, right?” His braying laugh reverberated through my sensitive ears.

    “Stop it!”

    “Fine. Freakazoid! You blue-eyed and green-eyed freakazoid!”

    I stood there hyperventilating, my tiny chest rising in faster sequences, my face flushing deeper than the deepest aubergine. I felt a tiny pop, then a scurrying through my skin. Odd.

    “You’re a freak with the Y2K virus. You’ll be dead tomorrow, your skin flayed and stinking!”

    Good guess.

    The next morning all that remained of my bully was a bloody, pulpy mess, his pajamas coated with traces of extraterrestrial gunk.

    Who’s laughing now?

    Reply
    1. 

       Emily Clayton

       22 April 2016

       Sorry, just realized I forgot my title! It should be “Y 2 Eyes”

       Reply
11. 

    Leara Morris-Clark

    22 April 2016

    Purple & Red
    astronaut/purple rain/drama
    WC 110

    I took over the family business. Some think it’s morbid. I don’t see it that way. Everyone dies and for the dead it isn’t sad. We mourn their absence, and then I orchestrate the send-off.

    Since the first Mars Royal Colony, my family cared for the dead. Today, I will commit our departed Prince to the heavens.

    The prepared body is loaded into the chamber. I shuttle it into the atmosphere. The people gathered below appear as ants.

    I set the timer and pull the release launching the casket. The explosives detonate, and fireworks light up the dark of space.

    I watch purple rain shower down on the red planet.

    @learavoice
    https://www.facebook.com/DoYouHaveAMinute

    Reply
12. 

    Daisy Warwick

    22 April 2016

    @WarwickDaisy
    Prophet/ An ‘erotic city’/ Horror
    ‘A Trip’
    Words – 110

    ‘I’m hearing about an erotic city, but have I come to the right place? That’s why I’m in Amsterdam. Because of the erotica.’

    ‘I heard mention of cherries too, but I haven’t found any remarkable cherries yet.’

    ‘Interesting.’

    ‘The song mentioned a purple life. But I thought orange was the colour representative of the Netherlands.’

    ‘The truffles will wear off in a few hours and the cherry I’ve got at the end of my fingertips right now is pretty special.’

    ‘I won’t be talking to my inner-prophet by Monday.’

    ‘Yes, I’ll stop advising myself by Monday. I should’ve escaped from this Van Gough by then.’

    ‘After all, Monday equals sobriety.’

    Reply
    1. 

       Daisy Warwick

       23 April 2016

       Ahhh! I just realised I spelled Van Gogh wrong! Can that be fixed please?!

       Reply
13. 

    Brady Koch

    22 April 2016

    The Fluid Mechanics of Rain in Zero Gravity

    The spheres were perfect floating in front of the crew’s faces. Other astronauts looked to the stars for proof of a higher power. Captain Darla found her creator in the flawlessness in these translucent orbs.

    Water had gone everywhere. Larger globules were the result of a friendly water fight celebrating their return to Earth after a grueling year in orbit. The smallest spheres: her tears in knowing she was never returning to space.

    The water shifted unnaturally, then accelerated uniformly toward her.

    “We’re gaining gravity!” She didn’t know who screamed, but someone seized her and threw her into the nearest escape pod as an electrical fire lit through the cabin.

    astronaut/rain/drama
    110 words
    @BradyTheWriter

    Reply
14. 

    Meg Kovalik

    22 April 2016

    Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

    Starman Rodgers climbed out of his mangled shuttle and surveyed the alien landscape before him. The moon’s gravitational pull was stronger than anticipated and he’d landed hard in a swamp of purple goo.

    The rocky landscape was unstable and he dodged and weaved between falling pebbles that set off even more purple explosions of rain everywhere he turned.

    Suddenly he froze. Sounds emanating from a nearby cave announced the approach of a large lifeform. His hand hovered above his pistol: would it be friendly or hostile?

    “NELSON! Just LOOK at the state of my kitchen! You’d better hope that paint doesn’t stain, young man.”

    “Sorry Mum.”

    Definitely hostile.

    @meg_mediocre
    108 words
    (With a nod to Bill Watterson)

    astronaut; (purple) rain; drama

    Reply
15. 

    Voima Oy

    22 April 2016

    Nice Ride
    @voimaoy
    99 words
    alien / little red Corvette / horror

    The car looked like a little red Corvette. The driver looked convincingly human in a skin-tight leopard print jumpsuit and platform shoes.

    The dark clouds, too, appeared to be a supercell storm, disguising the mothership from radar.

    The driver waved to the young man by the side of the road.

    “Do you need a lift?” the driver said.

    “Hey, thanks. You’re all right. Nice ride.”

    The driver nodded, eyes behind mirror sunglasses.

    The first drops of rain began to fall, as the highway dissolved behind them. The little red car accelerated, lifted off and disappeared into the purple clouds.

    Reply
16. 

    Brady Koch

    22 April 2016

    Space Launch Complex

    “Do I have to call you Captain here?”

    “No, you just call me Mom.”

    Darla’s knees hurt against the steel grid of the launch pad flooring. Her flight suit wasn’t made for saying good bye to five year olds. She stood back up and gave her husband a final kiss in the cheek. They’d said their goodbyes last night.

    Her daughter pointed at the thunderhead forming in the distance.

    “If it storms, can you still stay with me and Dad?”

    Darla bent and kissed her on the head one final time. It would need to last her a whole year.

    “Don’t worry, we’re going to beat the rain.”

    108 Words
    astronaut/rain/drama

    Reply
17. 

    Brady Koch

    22 April 2016

    On Floating Bodies

    Archimedes danced in her head as the ocean surface rose above her. In these last moments, she only wanted her daughter, not the man whose laws were sending down into oblivion.

    The density of the escape pod wasn’t enough to counter the water weight it had taken on in the downpour overhead. Captain Darla fought against her safety harness. Amidst the chaos, an old pain formed in the astronaut’s knees.

    Eureka. A memory knocked out by the violent impact returned. Reaching between her knees she pulled the secondary release. The chair uncoupled sending away from Archimedes and toward the surface, rescue and ultimately her daughter.

    105 words
    astronaut/rain/drama
    @BradyTheWriter

    Reply
18. 

    Geoff Holme

    23 April 2016

    @GeoffHolme
    #FlashDogs
    Word Count: 100
    person wearing a beret / (purple) rain / romance

    [ *** Late entry – just for fun *** ]

    Four Candles, Two Soups

    Brenda stands outside the antique shop, wearing her mustard-coloured beret. She looks around anxiously. Her friend is late.

    They’d met by accident in her favourite tea shop. Brenda had popped in for her usual – a nice cup of tea and a macaroon. They’d had to share a corner table since the place had been packed; it had been raining… just like today.

    At home, in Brenda’s bedsit, the table is elegantly set – best linen cloth, the candelabrum she’d inherited from her Auntie Gertie, soup plates.

    Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she pirouettes.

    “Oh, Kimberley! I’ve been looking for you.”

    Reply
19. Purple & Red – LearaWrites

    24 April 2016

    […] Written for Microcosms (17). Prompts were Astronaut/Purple Rain/Drama. WC 110 Photo from Wikimedia […]

    Reply
20. Y 2 Eyes | Emily Clayton

    5 May 2016

    […] Copyright © 2016 by Emily Clayton Originally appeared on Microcosms: http://microcosmsfic.com/2016/04/22/microcosms-17/#comment-4194 […]

    Reply

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