Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Entry #50

Time and Again
by Vesper


A ride from TIMEAGAIN Inc. was the perfect gift for a boy who lived for his hologame motorbikes; a boy who has never been …outside in his eighteen years. Mickey.

Adam had been a child when they sealed the Cities forever but he remembered playing among the last tufts of grass, under the dismal clouds of pollution. Now he could offer his son something infinitely superior.

In the bare launch room, the fastest bikes awaited them, three Suzukis Hayabusa, splendid antiques from the late 20th century.

He noticed Mickey looking for the neural net as he straddled his Suzuki. “No, boy, this is the real thing...” How he loved his son’s puzzled look…

He’d planned everything meticulously. Three rides to gain Guide Harlan’s loyalty and arrange the security details. His remaining fortune for the fourth.

The engines roared. The wall swirled in a psychedelic curtain and, as they charged through it blindly, air hit their eyes through the open visors. Sweet real air.

The sky held hues of bright pink, telltale of the impending sunset, stars already lit above the snowed peaks of Sierra Nevada.

Mickey’s braking reflex burned a black snake on the white concrete. He climbed down, staggering like a perpetual mariner cast to shore, and knelt, hugging the bike, sparkling tears in his eyes.

“California,” Harlan smiled. “Welcome to 1999…”

They tied Harlan well, to exonerate him of their escape.

“Happy birthday, son. Come on!”

They raced to the track’s fence, then onto the winding road beyond.

22 comments:

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Wow Vesper that was amazingly creative - a fully realized fantasy world(hopefully it will stay fantasy)in just 250 words. Bravo!

Esther Avila said...

This was good. A future world with a window to the past. Great ending too. I suddenly thought of Planet of the Apes.

BernardL said...

Well written inventive interpretation.

Beth said...

Very creative. Nicely done.

Sarah Hina said...

Vesper, I love the imagination in this one! And I like that you made our era Adam's Golden Age. Such a beautiful gift to share with his son.

As always, your writing shines. I really enjoyed your interpretation of the picture.

Scott said...

Wow, Vesper. I don't often say this, but this was one of my favorites, if not my very favorite. This was beyond cool.

JaneyV said...

Like everyone else I found the depth of imagination the key thing that really sets this piece apart. our writing is simplistic yet utterly engaging - it's hard to believe such a complete story could be achieved in so few words.

Awesome!

Missy said...

This gives so much, I am still amazed it's under 250 words! Beautiful.

raine said...

You found an amazingly creative way to tell this story, Vesper.
Very impressive, so much in a short space!

Anonymous said...

Vesper, I thought I already commented on this but I either forgot to push the button or imagined it.

Anyhow, great original take on this and bonus points for time-travel and scifi. Great work!

Paul

Vesper said...

Thank you so much, my friends. Your wonderful comments are much appreciated. :-)

Dottie Camptown said...

The best (in my opinion) of all the sci-fi entries. The plot, characters and setting were all extremely compelling.

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

Oh wow!!!!!!!!! This is so awesome! This is a new book that you will have to flesh out and write because I HAVE TO READ MORE!!!!! Absolutely awesome take! So very creative!

laughingwolf said...

exceptionally well done, vesper... caught me from the beginning, not wanting it to end....

AngelConradie said...

spectacular! i loved this one!

Anonymous said...

a unique piece of creative writing, Vesper!

definitely one of my favs!

Posol'stvo the Medved said...

I hope it isn't anathema to say it, but I was reminded a bit of Logan's Run.

Anonymous said...

Very imaginative. Great job!

Sameera Ansari said...

That was very imaginative!Nice leap into the future :)

Well crafted piece!

Chris Eldin said...

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. A sci-fi / dystopic take. It really is a complete story in 250 words.
Very nicely done!!!

Vesper said...

Thank you everybody for taking the time to read my little story and even leave a comment. :-)

Anonymous said...

Very inventive! To feel reality in a time of sterility and fake experiences. Good pacing.