FF – On the Plus Side
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Na’ama Yehuda.
Sebastian hurried home, shivering. He’d freeze before long. Midday? Might as well be midnight.
Looking up he could see candlelight flickering in a few homes. Some said they made the tallow from dead people. Rubbish, what a waste! A decent-sized dead person could feed a family for a week.
He swore as he stumbled over a frozen corpse and picked up his pace. Many would kill him for the food he’d found. Probably the last tin of beans on the planet.
Nuclear winter was no joke, but on the plus side, the human race had finally solved global warming.
Categories: Fiction
flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers
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draliman on life 
Loves the quip about the plus side
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Gotta look on the bright side, even if there really isn’t one.
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I suppose you wouldn’t want to light your home with a corpse if you could fill your belly with one. Or would you?
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I can’t decide, and hope I am never in the position to have to make that choice!
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A chilling, but meaty tale!
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Yum, tastes like chicken! (Apparently…)
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Sounds like a very human solution.
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Yes, it does.
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Those are probably just the backlights of smartphones in the window….
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Everyone is playing the exciting new game “sorry, no service”.
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Oh, quite horrific and riveting. What a piece! I love it.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
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Yes I did enjoy. You’re most welcome.
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Soylent green, anyone?
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Yum, my favourite 😉
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Wonderfully dystopian and a great last line, though so very sad in how it could truly come to pass. Well done!!
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I admit I’m more worried about this sort of thing what with certain countries rattling their sabres of late.
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True dystopia, this. Well done.
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It doesn’t get any more dystopian. Well, maybe if I added a couple of zombies…
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I agree. 🙂
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Always knew they’d fix the global warming problem.
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Well done, us 😉
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I’ve seen a few theories that it will be the cold not the heat that gets us. I guess we will just have to wait and see…
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Yep 😦 And nuclear winter is pretty much endgame.
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😦
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Interesting how you typify the self-destructive characteristic of the human race. What happens after the beans run out?
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We don’t even want to think about the beans running out 😮
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One of my fears when madpeople rule big countries always was that they get the idea to fight climate change with nuclear bombs. I love the casual tone that makes the circumstances even more horrible.
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He’s pretty much resigned to the situation 😦
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The nuclear winter is bad enough, but life without baked beans sounds unbearable!
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Yes, he holds in his hands life’s one remaining luxury 😮
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Oops, we turned the thermometer down a bit too much. 😉
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Maybe we’ll bounce up and down a bit, getting ever closer to the ideal 🙂
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a motto that never grows old: recycle, reuse, repurpose. 🙂
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A horrifying scenario. When it comes down to basic survival, no holds are barred, I guess. Sebastian sounds like a survivor.
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He is, for sure. I bet he’ll be one of the last.
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Always look on the bright side, eh? I hope the can of beans has a ring pull or he’ll need a tin opener.
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Oh no, now I have a mental image of him staring sadly at it or hacking at the lid with a screwdriver 😮
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sure, that’s one way of solving the problem of global warming
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Yep! Not recommended, though.
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Dear Ali,
Very dark scene this week. And the last line is a zinger. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
A dark scene for a dark photo. I’m glad you liked it!
Ali
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Good dystopian story, Ali. I like the very matter-of-fact voice you’ve given Sebastian; very appropriate for a survivor.
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Yes, he’s gone through all the emotions, now it’s just survival.
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There must surely be a way to extract the fat and still eat the meat? I guess when one is desperate… then again, those who have the light, probably already have a source of food…
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I expect they keep meaning to leave some fat for candles but are too hungry 😦
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And fatty meat is so much better…
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Mmm, tasty 🙂
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Absolutely!
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Maybe glass is the answer to the beans, as we never use tins…MOL..Great written again, Draliman! Extra Pawkiss🐾😽💞
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At least he could open a glass jar of beans without the can opener 🙂
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I love how you juxtapose despair and hope. Outside it’s bleak and freezing. Exposed to the freezing conditions, Sebastian’s survival depends on how quickly he returns to his shelter, or his fate will mirror that of the corpse he encounters. His hope (The can of beans) may lead to his death (freezing or having it taken from him). The corpse, or the representation of death, is the loss of surviving (despair), but the corpse’s husk is used as a food source and tallow (hope). Beautifully written!
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Thanks 🙂 Those who tend more towards hope are the ones managing to survive. But for most, it’s a mixture of both.
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