It’s a while since I’ve done a #Blog Battle so today seems a good day to remedy that, the theme this week is Arrival and my story genre is: Science Fiction, Human Interest. I don’t usually write Science Fiction so this is a bit of a change for me. I read an article on my plane journey to Glasgow about the advances in technology expected by the year 2035, I found it fascinating so this is why I decided to write a story with a Science Fiction slant, I coupled this with an idea that arose from the recent events and loss of life that tragically occurred on the weekend of Friday the 13th of November.
So the message behind the story is simply this: if only life could be simpler, perhaps we could live in harmony with each other. This is my dedication to the victims and families of the victims of recent atrocities, my heart goes out to you.
My Sweet Arrival
I stepped into the True-life booth. The empty booth had no visuals or sound to begin with it, it was dark and devoid of life, but then a cry filled the small booth, tugging at my heart strings; it claimed my heart and set it fluttering with sheer joy. Such a needy cry, a cry I remembered so well. The baby shrieked, its newborn lungs filling the booth with its plaintive cries. I held my baby shielding her from the world, crying into her newborn eyes, sharing my story with her.
Her due date had been the ninth of January but of course this strong minded individual had other ideas, a Christmas baby sounded much more exciting! She arrived early, two weeks before her time, greedy to meet the world. A perfect unexpected gift born on Christmas day, her birth recorded in the local newspaper, already she was a celebrity! The first of many sacrifices began, my schedule was no longer mine to organise, and instead a tiny child stole my heart and my day. I ate mouthfuls of Christmas dinner on the ward instead of a hearty meal with all the trimmings at a neighbour’s house! Yet, this unexpected celebration was altogether more wonderful. Her floppy body, and inability to feed would have fooled many but I was not fooled. A mother always knows her child. From that moment on her strength of character was apparent. She started her quest for liberation, stepping away from me whenever she could, this whirlwind toddler chatted to strangers, hid in shops, sang on stage, and when no stage was to be found she sang wherever she could, airports being her favourite gig. Our holidays away were spent chasing after her, as she scoured the beach searching for mysteries in each and every grain of sand. Her future was mapped, like her grandfather before her, she would travel to the furthest shore, see each and every delight of the world. She knew how to wake us up, shake us into taking notice of her, such power in those tiny lungs, that delicate body. The love was overwhelming, immediate, and everlasting.
But now I fear for every step that she takes, I long for her to stay by my side, because the world has become a volcano of smouldering hate. I return to the booth often to sooth my nerves, to try to take me back to that time when life seemed simpler, kinder, and altogether gentler. Hate roams the world voyaging far and wide it seeks to destroy us all with its evil kiss. We live in dangerous times, the target is our youth, our children who we have nurtured, whom we love.
In this time of unmatched technology, human accomplishments are phenomenal, yet we cannot live in peace. Our intelligence and progress has been our undoing, we have no purpose in life anymore, robots, our very own creation, manufactured to be articulate, clever, and purposeful have ensured that there are no jobs for us. So with nothing to occupy us we set out to destroy what we have built, piece by piece, bit by bit, the earth crumbles. We have been so blinded by our own capabilities, now we must pay the highest price, the loss of our dear children.
Last week my friend’s daughter was murdered. Her demise was bloody, and sudden. So cruel, she had been an angel, a sweet young woman just starting her life. A piece of me died that day, and can never be resurrected, so I go to the booth often to try to remember what it was like twenty years ago before the atrocities began. But try as I might it only gives me temporary comfort, and I leave feeling sadder than before. No advances in technology can sooth my friend, her heart is broken, fragmented by loss, and nothing can restore her to the person she was before. I see it in her eyes, now they stare, holding her suffering in blank pools of sorrow when once they used to sparkle.
They say that life is sweet but for me it has lost its gloss, and this shiny gloss has been replaced by clenched sorrow for my dear friend. The stark line of her tragic lips hold an unspoken story of a living nightmare that no booth however advanced, can ever erase. If this is progress then I long for mankind to return to the simple moments that we have lost, but technology is forever advancing taking us further and further into the abyss. It will be our undoing, I whisper into the booth, but the booth doesn’t respond. I look down at this computer generated baby and realise that we have no true enemies but ourselves, my sweet, dearest, child.
© Marjorie Mallon 2015 – aka, Kyrosmagica. All Rights Reserved.
Do share your views I’d love to hear your opinion on my #BlogBattle story.
If you’d like to join in with BlogBattle or vote for your favourite entry here’s the link to Rachael’s blog:
http://rachaelritchey.com/blogbattle/
Bye for now, do come by Kyrosmagica again, I love visitors.
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
Heartbreaking, poignant. <3 My heart goes out to all the people who have lost loved ones to the terrors surfacing across the globe.
Thank you Rachael. I wanted to try to capture how wonderful, precious and tender life is in that moment of birth, and how devastating a loss of a child, friend, and family member must be. Particularly in such horrendous circumstances.
<3
Very powerful writing, Marje. You’ve touched on a very delicate subject and one which affects all of us now. The world has become a very fearful place. Yes, it’s always been fearful, but more so now than ever before.
Thank you Hugh, that’s so sweet of you to say so. I do fear for the future generation, these are worrying times but we have to stay as positive as we can and hope that better times will come.
Oh, absolutely. I’ve always been a positive thinking person, but some events really can put a dent in that.
Have a good weekend, Marje.
Yes me too Hugh, I do try to keep cheery, have a good weekend, Hugh. 🙂
Great work!
Thank you.:)
You are welcome!
Marje, you speak to my heart.
Your friend’s loss is devastating.
Yet we all have to go on living.
I wish you peace and comfort.
Sounds like the story struck a chord with you Inese. It is purely fabricated, though based on recent events, apart from the bit about the baby/toddler that’s just me reminiscing about my eldest daughter – what a bundle of curiosity and liveliness she was, a veritable toddler whirlwind! Her favourite phrase when I picked her up from school was always, “Where am I going now?!”
Oh Marje, I so glad that the story is fictional for you, but aren’t there thousands of grieving families for whom it could be quite real… Nothing fictional in this story, except for some details…
I am worrying sick for my daughter and grandchildren…
Yes, frightening times Inese, like you I am terribly worried for the future generation.
Every child is precious, and having a time and place to mentally return to is a wonderful way to remember that. Well done. 🙂
Thank you Cathleen, I appreciate your comment so much. 🙂
My heart goes out to those who are suffering… Their pain is great. Your story here captures that.
History shows that tragedies happen again and again, even during simpler times, so I can’t quite agree that going to simpler days would solve it. Terror, war, raids, it never ends throughout the ages, sadly.
Thank you for your comment. Yes my wish for simpler times is wistful, and unlikely to be a way to solve tragedies such as these but that doesn’t mean I can’t hold that thought in my heart.
Yes, we can always hold thoughts in our hearts. I hope my previous comment didn’t come across the wrong way. I was merely reflecting on my thoughts…
No, its good to get feedback and opinions and I don’t tend to be overly sensitive so no worries …. 🙂
Oh good, I’m glad. Online is sometimes tricky because what someone writes can sound different than how they meant it, and I do worry sometimes if I make mistakes like that. 🙂
Yes, I know what you mean, often its that way with texting too, messages can get confused.