Friday Fictioneers – Making the Sky

~ neilmacdon
PHOTO PROMPT © Miles Rost

She said “We are the stewards of the very last traces of humanity’s carbon budget. We’re making the sky that we live under, and that our descendants will live under for many generations.”

And I felt a lump in my throat. More than the wildfires in Australia, more than the disappearance of the turtle doves, and more than the rain that falls and falls; this scared me. I’ve found the fear. Now we need to forge the hope. What we do next matters.

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

53 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Making the Sky”

  9. Now that took my breath away, Neil. ‘I’ve found the fear. Now we need to forge the hope.’ A quietly impassioned piece. Maybe we need to put your story up on billboards.

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  15. What do you fear – the extinction of man or the destruction of the planet? Man merely makes the planet uninhabitable or unpleasant – so yes action is need to save mankind. Hell, the planet will adapt to changes as it pleases.

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  18. Speaking here on a rainy sky morning with storms in the forecast, hearing the loud buzz of cicadas, and engine braking semis… I suddenly realize that I haven’t heard our mourning doves this spring, and I wonder why. Winter wasn’t that harsh, after all. Sigh…. Your story really hits home, and we DO NEED to do something, anything… however small… that counts.

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  19. “We” are not up to the task, Neil. “We” can’t even be bothered to agree to a painless needle that can directly save our lives. Humans have invented the toys that will be our ending. There’s no way to stop it at this point.

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  20. This is a powerful story and even more so given the word contraints. I read it a couple of times. I like how you said, “Now we need to forge the hope.” It’s not easy most days, but without hope what’s the point. Great piece!

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  25. Neil,
    A small voice that packs quite a punch. If there’s anything that nature teaches us, it’s that there’s always hope because life will always find a way.
    ~🕊Dora

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