Forty-five year old Faith had been hiding from the Qu’Tufot for over six months, ever since she’d escaped the work camp near Logan. There’d originally been four of them. Jodi and Kurt got shot by the Guard, what the humans collaborators with the aliens called themselves, and Ernie had a heart attack during the climb up Garnet Mountain. He showed her how the alien field generator they’d stolen worked. As long as she wore it, her energy signature was invisible to orbiting and ground sensors.
Hunting near the Fire Lookout was good. Pa had taught her to be a survivalist. The battery on the softball-sized generator would last another year, which would also keep her warm and reclaim water from the air for drinking.
It was just dumb luck that this was a storage cache for the local Resistance. Now all she had to do was wait until they returned.
I wrote this for the What Pegman Saw writing challenge. The idea is to use a Google maps image and/or location as the prompt for crafting a piece of flash fiction no more than 150 words long. My word count is 150.
Today, the Pegman takes us to Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout, Big Sky, Montana. I looked up the site at Recreation.gov and consulted a map of the general area for several hundred miles around.
The name of the aliens and the general situation is taken from a story I’ve submitted and that is still under consideration for an anthology about the fourth world war (yes, you read that right). The location and characters are different, but there are plenty of stories to tell under these circumstances.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com. Oh, I’m late today because we had our three-year-old granddaughter sleep over last night, and she’s been up since about seven this morning. I’ve got a bit of a window to write now that she’s taking her nap.
Good one. Now should write the beginning and the end.
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The submitted story that suggested this wee tale is still under consideration. If it’s selected, I’ll be sure to point everyone I can to where they can read it. It doesn’t tell the entire story of what happened, but it does reveal more details.
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That would be nice.
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I really want a softball sized generator that can reclaim water from the air and provide heat!
Good luck on your submission!
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Thanks, Karen. In 150 words, I had to explain why she wouldn’t freeze to death, starve, or die of thirst. The link I referenced said there was no nearby source of water, so I had to come up with something.
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Slick! Sometimes limitations bring ingenious solutions. I really need someone to invent that.
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Tense and exciting piece, James.
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Thanks, Josh.
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I wonder if the local resistance will believe her story.
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She’s in an awkward position if they don’t.
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This flash has an interesting feel to it, James. I am not sure what emotion I am meant to be feeling. Tiredness maybe?
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Dogged determination, I think. Thanks.
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