FF – Rebirth
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. She also supplied this week’s photo which is a redo from many years ago and was suggested by Kent Bonham.
After I wrote this story it occurred to me that, all unplanned, it could be a continuation of my last one, but set two years later.
To read this week’s other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Ice glistened, a delicate filigree tracing intricate patterns across the window. Edward traced his finger over the loops and swirls, a morning ritual. At last he turned away to begin another gruelling day of nuclear winter.
Reaching for the door handle, he noticed a glint of orange flicker across the wall. Turning back, he saw the window glow with light, blazing yellow as the sun, hidden these past two years, illuminated the swirls of frost with the promise of life.
The dust had settled, the long winter ended, the remnants of the human race reborn to a new dawn.
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draliman on life 
OK, I do like that as a continuation of the last story. I mean, it stands alone well too, but it makes me feel less concerned about the “sun=disaster” theme I mentioned before 🙂
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This time the light’s bringing new hope, rather than fiery death. Woohoo!
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I like it that you also saw the “blemish” of the light in the photo and used that.
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Thanks. A new dawn!
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Nice link to the other story, both really good for their deoth in brevity.
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I’m glad you liked them. I enjoy trying to fit whole stories into so few words!
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Yeah it’s a challenge! My minimalism is through my 6 word stories.
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I never really got the hang of those!
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Good one. I hadn’t spotted that light the first time around.
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It looks like the sun is finally coming up. I’m glad you liked it!
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I like the hopeful ending!
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It’s a new start for us all!
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I somehow missed your last story, so thanks for the cue to go back and read it. And yes, what a great continuation — the sun is back, finally, and with it, perhaps some hope.
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Let’s hope so. There’s a long road ahead but I think we’ll make it.
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Great continuation. More please 🙂
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I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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Like Trisha, I’m glad your story has a flicker of hope. Well done, catching the light in the window!
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It can’t be all doom and gloom, it’s time for the human race to get back on its feet!
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A story of dawning hope.
I like very much.
🙂
🙂
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Thanks, dawning hope and hope in the dawn 🙂
I’m glad you liked it!
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Well done! A glimmer of hope! Perhaps the silly humans will not destroy themselves after all 🙂
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We can only hope! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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Aha, a hopeful one. Nicely done. I could see this continuing on at novella or novel-length. (hint, hint) And/or maybe a Doctor Who spin-off teleseries?
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It could be a series of short stories, each one set at different times maybe. A Doctor Who spin-off sounds good!
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Yeah, for sure. Anne Proulx just released a book covering a 300-year history of two (I think it is) families, and of course there’s all types of precedence for such long-span fiction. I keep thinking of Twilight Zone, though, for your original story about the sun. Maybe a TZ reboot even, if it can’t be worked into the Whoniverse. I’m just now starting to get caught up with DW Capaldi years. On the Davros origins episode; can’t remember the name.
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I’m sure Dr Who would have prevented the disaster in the first place, so TZ it is!
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Garry says we are in the heart of darkness. Nice to hear the sun may come out … somewhere …
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Sooner or later the sun will always come back. Hmm, it’s not like me to be so optimistic… 🙂
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Woohoo! Time for the next era of humanity to make the same mistakes as the previous one….
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We just need time to get back on our feet, rediscover traditional farming and reinvent the thermonuclear device…
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A lovely sense of dawning hope, and beautiful descriptions in your story, Alistair! I loved it.
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I’m glad you liked it! I find descriptive stuff hard, hence my tendency towards dialogue.
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Hooray! We can start again! and this time with an extra eye and four legs! 😀
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We’re sure to survive with all those extra appendages!
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Great story, Ali. I love a happy ending. Well written. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks, all’s well that ends well – we hope – there’s always next week 🙂
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I love this. To see the sun return after such a disaster would be wonderful. You’ve captured the feeling.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it! They’ve been waiting for sight of the sun for so long.
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Nice story of redemption. No matter how hard we try to wipe our selves out, we survive.
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One wonders what we have to do to achieve complete extinction…
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Let’s not wonder too hard. I like it here. Even with its flaws.
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Wow, chilling! At least it has a happy ending. Great story!
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Thanks! Yep, it’s time to start rebuilding.
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Yes, I like this as a sequel to your story of last week, even if unintentional. One can sense the contrast of hope and despair.
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It worked quite well! I’m glad you liked it, and the contrast between the two.
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Great imagery and feeling about this one. Her comes the sun at last.
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Thanks! A very welcome sight after years of nuclear winter.
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A real journey, a Pandora’s box.
Great story!
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I started at the end last week and ended this week at the beginning, sort of!
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I love the hope in the end… there is a sense of phoenix in they way we rise from ashes.
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Very true, I wish I’d thought of that – “Phoenix” would have made a great title.
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This has a really different feel than your usual. I used the same but of the photo as my prompt too.
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Nice to get away from comedy for a bit!
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It’s the language as well I think.
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Yes, I usually do dialogue as I find it much easier than descriptive, where you actually have to think about getting the right words 🙂
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Well it was very good 😃
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Thanks 🙂
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Beautiful and uplifting with a lovely poetic rhythm, especially in the opening line. All of that comes across strongly because we get just enough information about the harshness of the gruelling nuclear winter to feel the relief of the sun breaking through.
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I’m so glad you liked it! It took longer than usual to write as I’m not so good at descriptive stuff – dialogue is easier for me – so I edited it quite a bit. I’m glad it worked out!
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Us and the cockroaches, you just can’t kill us all. Hopefully we’ll even have evolved a bit. At least there’s some hope. Beautifully written.
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Is it too much to hope for that the survivors won’t make the same mistake again? I’m glad you liked it!
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Great write, Ali. I hadn’t even noticed the lights. What a nice way to start again with new hope.
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Hopefully the survivors won’t mess it up this time…
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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This works really well as a continuation of last week’s story, even if it was unintentional! The effects of nuclear war have obviously been consuming your thoughts… I love the hopeful tone. A beautifully described piece, Ali. 🙂
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That’s what I get for watching Jericho (and other similar stuff) on Netflix…
I’m glad you liked it, and my descriptions!
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Is Jericho any good? I’ve just finished watching Terra Nova (very daft but fun) and need a new series to move on to. 🙂
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I enjoyed Terra Nova, shame it was too expensive to make and they cancelled it 😦
Jericho is okay, nothing special. It also got cancelled but they did a second 7 episode series to wrap it up so hopefully it will have a proper ending! On the plus side, series 4 of Continuum just appeared.
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I’ve not seen Continuum either. That might have to be next on my list instead. 🙂 Thanks!
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And if you haven’t seen it, Fringe.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if such light appears every time we have disaster? 🙂
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It would – a promise of things to come 🙂
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A lovely, descriptive passage and a great follow-on from your last FF story. 🙂
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
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Dear Ali,
This is almost poetry. Lovely story that stands alone.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it. Descriptive stuff is always quite hard for me.
Ali
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I felt the Joy!
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I’m glad 🙂
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How wonderful to read a hopeful post-apocalypse story!
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Thanks, I thought a bit of hope would be nice in a frozen world 🙂
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What a dramatic difference in mood between the beginning and end of such a concise story! Brilliantly written!
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Thanks! From grim drudgery to a spark of hope. I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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