The Leaving
We walked away, knowing it was the end of the world as we had known it. Throughout our town and thousands of places the plants were taking over.
Bursting out of their bonds, driving us out of our homes.
It had all started with the mother of an electrical storm, which enveloped the globe. Winds blasted every nook and cranny, driving seeds into every place possible. Some said it was gods retribution for the way we had treated nature. Whatever, the storm had fired up a latent grown gene in the plants allowing them to thrive. Driving out humanity’s seed. Our time was up.
Footnote: Sometime I am lucky and a story just writes itself. Then again perhaps this story came from my dislike of the way many nations are plastering the earth with concrete. Whichever thank you Sandra for the photo which gave me the opportunity to vent my spleen.🙂
This Post Has 67 Comments
Yay. But I’m still with the people
Me too, but we have a lot to learn.
You’ve surprised me again with an imaginative take on the prompt. I’d never have come up with this idea. It’s a good one and it works. I’m starting to suspect though, that there’s a bit of triffid in your DNA. Or maybe you have a heart of oak?
Thank you John, no triffid but a lot of oak.
Truly imaginative! Our subconscious impacts what we churn out. And it appears, as if we were just a medium for the word flow.
Thank you Reena,
Dear Michael,
Like JS, my thoughts went to the triffids. If Nature doesn’t stage a revolt soon, there might not be enough foliage left to revolt. Well done and imaginative.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you so much Rochelle. For myself I need nature to thrive.
Nice read
Thank you Mrs Dash
Ah. The body-snatching plants? Great story 🙂
I do hope they are not body-snatchers, but I have not seen the next instalment of this story yet.
A novel take on such a picturesque photo!
Thank you Iain. It certainly was picturesque, I had to steel myself not to write a happy occourance.
You have a wonderful imagination!
Thank you Rosemary: The prompt really worked well for me this time.
I agree with the others, Michael – great take on the prompt, full of intrigue and possibility. And I’m with you, I hate it when I see people tarmacing their drives and so many houses having astro turf instead of a grass lawn. What is the matter with people.
Vive les plantes!
Thank you Lynn, I love architecture; but I just see better ways of integrating people and nature.
Very true, Michael
I’ve written a number of “nature’s revenge” tales myself, but I always leave a remnant of humanity left just to see if we’ve learned our lesson.
I begin to feel that we will never learn that lesson. I do hope that I am wrong.
What a surprising story coming from the prompt… but somehow I think that Nature will shake off humanity like a dog would to with too much lice.
Thank you so much Bjorn.
This is a fantastic take on the prompt. I totally agree with you regarding man building all over nature. We will have no green areas left before too long.
Thank you so much Clare,
I hate too much concrete also. It’s raising temperatures. You know if a place is neglected the plants take over and break up concrete. Nature will always find a way to survive. We need nature, it doesn’t need us. Good writing, Michael. 🙂 — Suzanne
Thank you Suzanne. Besides the health of the globe, I believe that there are many medicines still to be discovered. Each plant species we loose reduces the gene pool that we can benefit from.
Nicely “Day of the Triffids”-esque.
Thank you so much drailman, I saw the way the flowers seemed to be busting from the windows and a couple of people leaving, and so the story was set.
It really works this story as a response to the pristine buildings and clean street in the photo, because once the foliage took over places such as that, you would know that the end was nigh for humanity.
Thank you Sarah, I saw flowers bursting from the windows and a couple leaving and so the story entered my head.
Love this! Would be nice if people were more aware of the environment around them instead of bulldozing it down.
Thank you, I agree about the enviroment.
I’m with you and Joni Mitchell, they’ve paved paradise. Great creative take on the prompt.
Thank you, they are destroying paradise.
Nice! At least it’s not insects taking over. :o)
That’s true, I enjoy most plants, but insects unsettle me.
Me too. I like your version much, much better. :o)
this reminds me of a battlefield where many had died. now, it’s covered with grass hiding the mess that happened there. when plants do take over the world, we can expect humanity’s fingerprints to go away with it.
That’s so true. Thank you Plaridel
Time to turn over a new leaf then? Imaginative take on the prompt.
Thank you, Subroto
I can see the wild poppies commemorating the folk that once lived there. Delightfully different.
My FF story, Ma Fantaisie Francais!
Thank you. Keith
What a refreshing take… usually the Earth is drying up in these stories. Sad for the humans, but kinda cool for the vegetation!
The vegetation is rampantly happy. Thank you for your supportive comments.
My, My, Michael. A bit of the future in this one. Earth can take just so much. Then, it’s payback.
Great take on the photo prompt.
Isadora
Thank you so much Isadora.
The invasion has already started – buddleia filled guttering is just the first stes. Power to the plants – they can do without us; we can’t do without them! Interesting story!
Buddleia’s beautiful, thank you Mjl.
Good one. I’ve often wondered if our longsuffering earth would fight back, fed up with our antics. Like it!
I am glad to give a possible answer. Thank you for your feedback.
There was a show on Discovery, or one of those channels, called “100 years after man” that I remembered upon reading this post. It’s amazing how fast Mother Nature can recover if man isn’t interfering.
Russell. Sometime I do forget how quickly plants can re-establish them-self, given half a change. I do enjoy seeing plants comming to life. Thank you for reading. Mike
I’m so glad that plants are taking their revenge! Loved this take.
I am so pleased that you enjoyed this piece of Flash Fiction. Thank you for commenting.
My pleasure!
Thank you
A warning for mankind! I also do not like the concrete jungle that continuously creeps into nature.
Thank you Fatima. Blanketing the soil with concrete is in my view wrong. I can think of better ways of living side by side with nature.
Very unique and imaginative interpretation of the prompt. I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for your comments amie. I felt the hotel burp when it enjoyed room 215
You’re welcome! Yes, that burp is exactly what I was going for!
Good story but you need to replace that second we in the first paragraph with a comma.
Thank you Dawn, I appreciate the help. The [we] has gone.
I too am anti-concrete but you expressed it so well
Thank you Michael.