The Friday Challenge: Monologue

“My, my, my. Mr. Awesome, nothing to say? What is matter, cat got your tongue? Or should say, genetically cloned and biologically engineered saber toothed tiger? Oh yes, it is most impressing. Amazing what modern science capable to do. Perhaps now you know how the Neanderthal feel on the plains of France ten thousand years ago. It was no easy thing fighting off these beasts. Mammoth holding your legs would have been more than match for five, nyet, eight hunters.

But now, enemies have come to be pets. All, except you Mr. Awesome. You with clean shaven jaw, with subtle womanly brow, with narrow nose. You stand opposite to the Neanderthal still. What could you hope accomplish by opposing the Neanderthal. Why your press never say name? Neanderthal is called Othogarmoghr. All have to do is ask.

Do not you know that man who exiled from tribe in the Stone Age, who travel thousand miles, who fall in glacier, who frozen alive for ten thousand years, who thawed by Russian scientists, who rise to power by cunning, guile, and undeniable charm, that man never to be defeated!

Do not twist so much, saber toothed tiger is only barely under thought control. Amazing how ‘advanced’ humans cannot hear and change thoughts like the Neanderthal. Neanderthal thought new humans were supposed to be soooo much better than him. Why Neanderthal can do this and you cannot? Maybe that why old tribe not like Othogarmoghr… Not important now. Pets move you so see presentation screen better.

How Neanderthal live with no Powerpoint, do not know. Cave paintings so limited. Could not go back slide or animate text! See how bomb move and text flash? Make clear that Neanderthal will blast world with EMPs. Knock all humans back to Stone Age. Watch next slide! See how sun fade out? That giant solar shade. Al Gore said needed for global warming. Neanderthal use to make new ice age! Earth be just like home again.

Home good to share. Neanderthal share new home with woman of Mr. Awesome. Yes, Neanderthal not even need control thoughts of Bubbles de Blondie. She like big brow of Neanderthal and Neanderthal hair. She know better man when she see him.

Mr. Awesome, you less than Neanderthal every way. In time long ago, tribe would have dragged out of cave, shamed you with baby mammoth trunk, then eat you. But, because new age for human mankind dawn soon, the Neanderthal will allow you fighting chance. Of course, Neanderthal choose weapons for fight. Neanderthal pick big, heavy branch. You can have pointy stone, smashy rock, ground sloth jawbone, or thin slappy stick. Neanderthal think you do good with thin slappy stick, it what all women of tribe used.”

Come and See the Solar System Friday Challenge

Please come here, please!

You don’t understand how quiet it is here.

I talk, talk all the time just to hear the sound of a real voice.

I’m not supposed to, but I do it anyway.

Please, you have no idea how hard it is to live without another voice now. They said monks used to do it, but I think that was a lie. Or at least the monks had other people to listen to, ones from outside the monastery. Helen Keller, she might have been real. That was different.

The clicks and the whirs and the beeps. I can’t stand them anymore, not without someone’s, anyone’s, your voice.

The communications receiver was damaged. I tried to find a way to flip this transmitter around, but the design doesn’t make any sense. I shut down that terrible computerized voice. She was a liar and couldn’t understand me. I could tell by that tin echo tinkling on the edge of her synthetic voice and the way she kept asking me to repeat myself. Now I’m alone in silence again.

That computer is nothing like you, whoever you are. You can think and speak, and you’re true, you’ll come and save me, and be with me.

Just come out to the research station on what you call Pluto as fast as you can, please.

The others didn’t make it. I was gentle, I tried to be gentle, but I wasn’t used to it. I had been asleep for a long time, just like Helen Keller. She was like me, she could have been real. But not the monks. Gregorivich was a liar, but I shouldn’t have gotten mad at him. You’ll forgive me won’t you?

Oh, please come, there is so much I’ve got to tell. There is so much you need to know about.

You can’t understand yet, but I’ll help you.

I’ll be slow and gentle this time.

Not like with Gregorivich, or Simmons. They didn’t understand.

I miss them.

And Abernathy and Soon. Soon’s voice was so beautiful, even at the end. She was an accident.

But they weren’t ready. None of them were ready. But you are, aren’t you? You’re ready to come to Pluto and talk to me. I’ll be waiting, just like I’ve been waiting for so long, like Helen Keller. Only now I’m waiting like those monks.

The waiting is hard.

I’m not asleep anymore.

You’re going to come, aren’t you?

Road Trip Friday Challenge

It was supposed to be, “The baby’s crying…” but it came out as a rasping croak. Jon tried to blink his eyes and realized that dried mucus had cemented them shut. He lifted his hands to his eyes carefully rubbed away the goo. Able to see again, he looked to his left and was surprised to see that his wife wasn’t there. His mind raced. “If she’s up, why isn’t she getting the baby? He’s been crying for awhile, hasn’t he?”

As he reached down and threw the blankets back to get up, he made another startling discovery. He wasn’t fat. True, he’d never been morbidly obese, but he’d been more than pleasantly plump last time he’d checked. Trying to swing his legs out of bed was incredibly hard and it took him a long time to balance. Glancing out the window, he realized it was almost evening, not morning at all. He hobbled toward the baby’s room and nearly collapsed when he found his wife.

She was face down in the hall right next to baby’s door. Something about her posture made him suddenly terrified that she was dead. Her pulse was there, but seemingly weak. Baby Michael was still going strong, so Jonathan “Jolly” Rogers bent down and tended to his wife Anna first.

He had began remembering details as he had nursed his wife back to consciousness and checked on all of his children. While Baby Michael had been the most vocal, his wasn’t the only small, empty tummy in the house. Jon’s two daughters had been in an exhausted sleep in the basement bedroom. When Abigail and Claire woke a few hours after dusk, they tapped on the wall in what Jon realized must have been their method of signaling their mother.

On his way through the kitchen with crackers for the girls, his flashlight spotted a newspaper cover he didn’t recognize. True, papers weren’t what they had been when he was growing up on the farm, but he still liked the old fashioned feel of turning pages instead of scrolling down the screen. This paper was dated April 5^th. One of his last solid memories was of Anna bringing him a cracker with a candle on it for his birthday on March 28^th. The cover of the paper had two huge, red words on a solid black background. It read simply, “The End.”

After delivering the girls their crackers and some Gatorade from the closet, Jon read them some of their favorite Bible storybook. Claire asked the inevitable, “Daddy, did God make everyone sick?”

Unable to muster the normal in depth analysis he preferred to give his daughters, he simply replied, “Yes sweety, he did. We all deserved it too.”

“Because ‘All have sinned?’” asked Abigail.

“Yeah,” began Jon, but he couldn’t manage enough strength to finish his explanation. “I’ll tell you more later.” He knew that his daughters would bring it up again. They always remembered the hard questions. “We need to get ready for a trip girls, do you think you can pack for us like you did last summer? Except, this time I want you to do it with no help from Mommy.”

“Yes, Daddy,” they replied in unison.

Jon suddenly realized how scared Abby and Claire were. They would never have answered so quickly and obediently normally. “Do you girls want to get started now?”

They nodded together without even checking with each other.

“I’ll get you flashlights, you girls wait here.”

“I won’t be afraid of the dark while you’re gone, Daddy,” volunteered Claire. “The lights don’t turn on any more, but I don’t need them.”

“Yeah, she’s got me to hold on to!” giggled Abby.

His daughter’s giggle had almost made things seem normal for a moment. But, things were never going to be normal again. He managed to round up two more old flashlights and replace the batteries. Thank God for buying in bulk. He pulled down a suitcase from the basement closet and delivered it to his eldest children. He could feel the strength returning as he used his muscles again for what must have been the first time in at least a week.