People come out changed, or not at all, says the whispers.
Called me in ta’ fix a drone. Remembered thinkin’ their workers looked mindless, till one leaned in, showed me circuitry boosts I never could’a imagined.
Wondered, why me?
Then they hired me full time, ta learn their subatomics, an’ I keep gettin’ a sense there’s more, ‘sif regular scientists hit a wall they won’t never figure.
Them that disappear, there’s papers says they wanted to. I got my own papers now, says my skills are needed off-world.
But I’m stayin’.
Human scientists need help takin’ that wall down.
© 2021 Rebecca Glaessner
October 7: Flash Fiction Challenge « Carrot Ranch
In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes whispers. It can be beautiful or creepy and any genre. Where are the whispers, who are they from, and what do they say if they say anything at all. Go where the prompt leads!
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Rebecca Glaessner Author 
Reminds me of the old house show “If Walls Could Talk”…
Mysterious disappearances warrants investigation? ;)
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That would be a brilliant twist! Makes me think of Hal
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Ah… I remember ‘HAL’ …
I’m not one for too much AI taking over my home. At least not yet ;)
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Haha me either! We’re a long way off AI being self aware though (a lot longer than the mainstream tends to predict).
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There was just a news article about optical ‘metaverse’… whoa – I don’t even have a smart phone… yet!
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Your stories are really 198 words because I have to read them twice. Sometimes because I want to, and other times, like this, to get a better understanding of the story. The walls puzzled me a bit but then I saw a shattered earth with problems the scientists couldn’t solve and a hero who stays to help.
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I definitely see where you got the postapocalyptic storyline. I like the shattered earth imagery you came up with, I hadn’t considered the walls being part of the plot as physical structures. That would be a thrilling world to write in, now I’m wondering what could’ve gone so wrong for them.
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I’m with Norah here. What is the wall? Why is so difficult to take down? I really like the feeling of this flash fiction piece. Tell me more, please. ~nan
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Thanks Nan! I love it when stories make us think. I can’t confirm this character will be back, however I enjoyed the feel of this one too. I wonder how much deeper it goes.
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Very nice. Round, pear-shaped tones in your writing, here.
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Thanks Liz. Always good to be rounded and full of tone!
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Sweetest of songs sung!
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Yes, this is an intriguing piece and I liked the narrator’s voice. I’m glad he’s hanging around to help the humans!
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I agree D., I’m glad he is too. That was a nice little twist I didn’t see coming. When I considered that final choice, it felt right to have him stay. He seemed to exist on a different plane to those who left.
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Intriguing piece. I wonder if, rather than trying to take down the wall, they might try opening the doors of perception. ;-)
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That’s a practical idea, Doug. A door is much easier to build than tearing down a whole wall, that’s for sure! I wonder how close our own scientists are to cracking open the deeper doors of quantum mechanics. Glad this one got your cogs turning, thanks for stopping by 😊
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Just as long as they don’t find Jim Morrison on the other side. ;-)
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Such a rich story that invites my imagination, Rebecca! Your photo reminds me of a tombstone shrouded in mist. The wall makes me think of ones we put up in the past but have difficulty remembering why. Each passage seems to ensnare the character more.
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I like that, the long forgotten walls of our own creations. I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Charli, that I could draw you into this character’s experience.
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Likewise, you’re quick off the mark, Rebecca. A mysterious piece of flash that has lots of questions going through my mind. That wall is intriguing. Maybe the humans need help as it’s a wall they’re not sure even exists—a little like the wall that some say exists between this world and the next.
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I like that one Hugh. I imagined a block in our ability to perceive reality due to the planes/dimensions we exist on/in. Very similar to your perception of it! I wonder if our narrator will reach through to those blocked up scientists.
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I’ve always had a vision of those on the other side having their ears up against a wall listening in on what we’re all doing, Rebecca. There is also a huge staircase they can climb or float up so as to look over the top.
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Oh that imagery is fantastic! I never pictured it that way. Now I’m wondering what their wall looks like too..
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You were quick off the mark, Rebecca, and came up with an intriguing piece. I’d like to know more about that wall, why it needs to be taken down, and why the human scientists can’t do it on their own.
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Me too Norah, me too. And thanks! I’m glad I could inspire a slew of questions.
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