Friday Fictioneers – Alone

~ neilmacdon
PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart

In all the vastness of the universe, we are alone. Three millennia of searching and not a sausage, not even microbes. Theory says life should be common. So, why? Why does no-one answer us?

The solution, I think, lies in dark matter. This, too, we sought for thousands of years without explanation. Two mysteries? Or, maybe, one?

The only remaining possibility is that dark matter is the gravitational effect of adjacent universes. 

Yesterday, we finished the test—collided two galaxies together, then four, then eight. If there’s anyone in the universe next door, maybe they’ll hear our message and tap back on the wall. The reply should be “sixteen”.

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

76 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Alone”

  1. Interesting.
    How can you be sure that it’s sweet 16? 🙂

    Universe can surprise & shock!
    We really don’t know so many answers.
    Humans are not even a speck in our planet, leave alone galaxy or Universe!

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  5. Hehehe, what an imaginative story. I find it quite likely that they answer, ‘How dare you collide our galaxies, look what you made us do’ instead of 16, and send 32 annihilators through. LOL.

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  12. Typical. Kick it and see if it bites. And there’s a risk of killing the aliens you seek. If banging galaxies together is to be noticed, energy must be transferred to the aliens’ universe, possibly with very destructive effects.
    Entertaining and regrettably true to life, Neil

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  14. Nothing like a little sci-fi to get the brain’s gears moving. I don’t do well, thinking in numbers. Not sure I want to exist where an answer has to be numerical. Why can’t the person–being–tapping back just do a little rhythmy thing?

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  16. One part of me says it would be good to know if there is other life out there. Another part says why get ET’s attention, similar to a mouse in an open field chattering until the hawk notices it.

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      1. Hi Neil, sorry for the delay in responding, just life and stuff.
        Your kind comments are much appreciated, thank you.
        After Sandra, who to my mind stands alone here on FF, I consider you in the small elite always worth reading.
        Obviously right now I have no idea when I’ll be back in Scotland, but I normally spend time in or round Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ayr, and would enjoy a beer wherever is best for you.
        If you send me a text or Whatsapp on 0033664223460 I’ll give you a shout sometime…
        Cheers

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  22. What if our galaxy is one of the 16? I’m not sure all this obsession with getting ahead of ourselves will end well for humanity. Science is incredible, but are we equipped to handle it?

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  28. Cool. Especially creepy since I just finished reading Piranesi, this book about a parallel world where there’s a mysterious 16th person (called simply 16). You don’t find out who they are until the Very End. And then, plot twist. Oh, and you wouldn’t need base 10 because that’s just for the Arabic numeral representation. By doubling the amount of knocks/universes you’re actually operating on a base 2 (binary) system anyway. That’s how they would know what number of times to knock or in this case I was assuming a single person in each of the resulting universes was the reason for 16? That’s assuming a certain theory of parallel universes that I don’t necessarily ascribe to, but some physicists do consider it possible if unlikely. I’m the only one geeky enough I’m actually thinking about this, aren’t I?

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  29. Ha, I love the bit about not finding a bit of sausage in the entire universe. Personally, I’m the hunt for intelligent bits of bacon…

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