FFfAW: Memories of Home

Posted on by Louise Bunting

This post is for the Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers (FFfAW) Challenge, run by Priceless Joy. This week’s photo prompt was provided by Vanessa Rodriguez. The challenge is that you write a story of 75-175 words inspired by the photo prompt below. I hope you like it.

Photo Prompt: © Vanessa Rodriguez
Photo Prompt: © Vanessa Rodriguez

Memories of Home

Dana’s hand tightened on Jacob’s as she caught sight of the grapevines striping an undulating landscape.

“Oh Jake, this is…” Her voice caught. Tears gathered, threatening to overflow, and she brushed them away, leaning into Jacob’s support as his arm wrapped around her. “How did you know?”

“I know you,” he murmured in reply.

The ephemeral sweetness of ripening grapes carried on the breeze as they walked between the vines; sunlight warming skin. Dana breathed deeply, reawakening memories of carefree days among the carefully tended plants of her grandfather’s vineyard.

She’d taken it for granted, assumed it would always be there. How wrong she’d been.

How wrong they’d all been.

The impact of the asteroid had choked Earth’s beauty beneath a cloud of ash. Firestorms consumed the land. Whole populations were lost, only the lucky few already off-planet surviving. Dana was one of those few. As was Jacob.

Now the holographic chamber was the closest to home they’d ever get. At least with Jacob’s realistic simulations they could pretend – even if only for a while.

Word Count: 175

In case you were wondering, yes, the holographic chamber is based on the Holodeck from Star Trek…

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24 thoughts on “FFfAW: Memories of Home”

    1. Thank you, PJ. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂 The scariest thing is that there are thought to have been several such impacts through Earth’s history – including one that caused the formation of the moon and another that wiped out the dinosaurs. There was a ‘near miss’, I believe, just last year with an asteroid passing relatively close to Earth, and numerous smaller impacts as well over the years that caused lesser damage. Hopefully by the time another one large enough to threaten us with extinction approaches, mankind will have developed a means of destroying it before impact actually occurs.

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      1. Yes, I knew it had killed the dinosaurs and there is a large crater in Arizona. I had never heard about the one that caused the moon. I agree, hopefully, if there are any more, we will have the capability of stopping it.

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  4. The possibility of something like this happening is quite frightening. Your story shows the emotions involved and is well written. I’m glad you have your internet service back. When mine is down or just plain slow, I kind of feel…cut off from the world! 😱

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    1. It is quite frightening. We just have to hope it doesn’t happen for a long time. I’m very glad you enjoyed reading! Having no internet is incredibly frustrating – though it did give me a chance to read a few books and to draw a few new colouring pictures. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.

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  6. Very strong story line. At first thought it was a real vine the saw but no it is only a replica!

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  8. Well, hooray for the Holodeck! Beautiful writing and a great take on the prompt 🙂

    I feel your frustration about having no internet. We are still without broadband in the new flat, and we only moved seven weeks ago…

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    1. Thanks. 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
      You don’t realise how much you rely on the internet until you don’t have it. 😦 I hope yours is sorted out soon.

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