The sun-swept fjord has been constructed with real flair. Geirfinnur Vidarsson admires the build as only an engineer can. Steeply sloping snow-capped walls and a firth perfectly aligned with the rising fireball, bathing the glaucous waves orange.
He steps with care through the lava field, wary of the razor-edged cinder cones lurking beneath the soft green moss. Geirfinnur is alone in this landscape. He utters a cloud, and it drifts fluffy across the dome of the sky.
Next, he tries to forge a man and a woman, but fails. Head bowed, he turns back towards town.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
Perhaps he should accept it is better off without the man and the woman to spoil his creation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bah humbug!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Neil,
Vivid descriptions. I read this three times. I’m not sure but is he trying to create something he shouldn’t?
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Rochelle. Yes, he’s trying to create a world and people it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like this, I had to look up Glaucous, thought it was a spelling error, how wrong i was, i will retain that word if you don’t mind!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much. Isn’t glaucous a perfect word?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes it really is, it is perfect and peculiar
LikeLike
Neil has a vocabulary that renders us mere mortals envious…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Imperfection is hard to create. Very vivid descriptions here, Neil.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much
LikeLike
Love this.
And ‘ utters a cloud’, just sublime,
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks so much, mate. Yes, I was quite smug about that construction
LikeLike
It’s great when the Muse actually wakens, isn’t it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great creation story here. The Blackfoot believe that the Creator first populated the earth with snakes, but they ruined everything by churning the earth to mud. Hope this one turns out better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He’s decided he’s not much a deity. He’s going to stick to trying to improve vacuum cleaners
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too loved your ‘utters a cloud’ – delicious Neil. I wonder if he’ll just stick to landscapes then, avoid all those fiddly squidgily human bits. Nicely done
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Lynne. He may found a political party instead
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! My pleasure
LikeLike
Very creative- both the protagonist and the writer 🙂
Wish you a very happy new year!
Zapped – Anita
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Anita
LikeLike
People tend to destroy beautiful things, particularly in nature. He should just leave it un-peopled! Although that might not be much of a story.
Fun read for the New Year… Thanks for that!
-Rachel
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have a limited attention span, Geological time doesn’t work well for us
LikeLike
Does he need an Adam and an Eve in his creation? I would reply in negative. loved the vivid descriptions.
LikeLike
Thanks so much. He felt making people would be the test of his art
LikeLike
A world without people… sounds like he should take the weekend off…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Bjorn
LikeLike
he can try again next time. the fjord will be waiting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
he may have lost the courage
LikeLiked by 1 person
An intriguing story, which took me back to the Viking and their beliefs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Michael. How interesting that you connected this with Vikings
LikeLike
Loved the descriptions here… maybe he should stick to what he is good at… and leave that whole humanity thing to another.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good advic, Dale. Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why on earth would he need humans to spoil a beautiful world which contains ethereal words like glaucous’ or terms like ‘utters a cloud’?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s the challenge, I think, Thanks, Anurag
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks like he created a beautiful world. Do you think he realizes that man will destroy it? If I was the creator I would fill it with beautiful forests and beasts instead. Great imagery man, It reminded me of the Sillmarillion. I love a good origin story 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Without people, nobody writes poetry. Thanks, Jacob
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s poetry in and of itself 🙂
LikeLike
he utters a cloud?????? it left me confused
LikeLike
A poetic way of saying he spoke and his breath was visible in the cold
LikeLike
It’s probably better off without any people to muck it up 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
If there were no people, there would be nothing to decide it was better
LikeLiked by 2 people
Geirfinnur is an engineer not a creator. No wonder he could not create a man and a woman. May be if he was a molecular biologist, things would be different.
LikeLike
Don’t let any engineers hear you say that
LikeLiked by 1 person
As others have commented, your vocabulary delights the soul of this old English teacher 🙂 And really, I’m not surprised he couldn’t create a man and a woman. Wrong materials. I hope he’ll try again, say, along the banks of a river.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think he’s disheartened
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure, but there’s always tomorrow 🙂
LikeLike
Creating a fjord is easier – he’ll just have to persevere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
People have fiddly bits
LikeLike
I enjoyed the descriptions of this piece. I did have to look up a couple of words though could have understood from the context. Maybe the world would be better off without humans? That’s my cynical side again. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe, but only a human can ask that question
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good point …
LikeLike
Fascinating Neil. So picturesque. So failed at humans? If only
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never mind. I can think of a landscape painter who couldn’t draw people and decided he was a failure at art who went on to make his mark on history
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most of my observations and compliments have already been uttered so it should be quite cloudy down your way! Have a glaucous day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Andy
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beautiful. I learned two new words: firth and glaucous. I also loved the uttering of the cloud. A good creation tale.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmm…who lives in the town, if not a man and women? Fellow Norse Gods? The elite? I love good creation stories. ps: now you have me pining for the fjords.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadly, this was a bad creation story. He wasn’t much of a creator
LikeLike
Woooow!
Thanks for writing this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reading
LikeLike
I love the idea of the creator achieving all this and yet falling short at the end. Poor man – head bowed as he leaves. I suspect he’ll be back to try again. Very evocative writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Margaret
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fine creationist story. Maybe not all creators succeeded at their work, somewhere in the galaxy are half created worlds floating by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much
LikeLike
Brilliant description of the nature..learnt new vocab today! Glad he couldn’t make people, what good did it every do to the nature!
LikeLike
Thanks so much
LikeLike
Ooo – wonderfully vivid!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Ellie
LikeLike
Until I read the comments I thought he was an artist.
I suppose he is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your first thought could well have been right.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vivid imagery, and an intriguing protagonist. Love the description “steeply sloping snow-capped walls’… rolls off the tongue nicely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Magarisa
LikeLiked by 1 person