Feeling as cold as the dark, icy landscape, the bundled figure trudges alone. How long has it been since the last encounter with another? Too long ago and for too brief of time. Death in this frigid atmosphere is inevitable.
The ending began with a dimming of their star. Theories turned to conversations. Conversations turned to disagreements. Disagreements turned to arguments. Arguments turned to war. War over their perceived differences illuminated by the dimming.
The bundled figure comes to a halt amidst the frozen desolation with final, futile understanding. All of the warfare is what collapsed their civilization. Their dying star only decimated the remnants of their planet, which now drifts lifelessly through the immeasurable void.
____________
2024, John L. Harmon
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SIDE NOTE:
In a moment of freaky fate or creative coincidence, I stumbled upon a piece of new music, right after I finished writing the above short story, and I feel it would make the perfect soundtrack.
Click the pic ⤵️ to listen to “Emptiness in Static” from the minds of Blue Sun Chasing x Armageddon Speaking…
Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.
Oh, and Happy New Year or something.
Freak Out,
JLH
P.S. click the pic ⤵️ for a different story about a different planet…
Something to read in 2024…
📗
https://mybook.to/Sturgeons
That was spellbinding, John. Wow!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gill!
DeleteShort yet impactful. Now I feel cold. 🥶 Good stuff, John!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barry! I admit the story was inspired by the frigid Arctic temperatures my area of the world has been experiencing, so if it made you cold, I succeeded! Lol
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