[Write the Story] A Dystopian Glimpse of the Future

Prompt: A Dystopian Glimpse of the Future

Words: wheelchair, Labrador, throne, prescription, railroad, trunk, gulley, wasp, photosynthesize

Story
“Why are we headed to the Labrador Coast?” I asked as salt water sprayed my face.

“Because we have to study the effects of the current atmosphere on plants ability to photosynthesize.” Kate said with a long-suffering sigh. “And Canada still has vegetation to study. “I’m tired of repeating myself.”

I was whining as I perched on an ancient railroad trunk like it was a throne, I knew it. But at least I was on a trip that only required industrial-strength sunscreen and a basic respiratory filter. Others in my class had research projects requiring full-on environmental suits.

Soon the boat took a turn from ocean to fresh water. We chugged up the river into new growth jungle slowly pushing pines and other vegetation out. I grabbed repellent out of my kit and applied liberally. I saw a mosquito the size of a wasp buzzing around the deck. The repellent like the sunscreen, came at prescription strength but that likely wasn’t enough.

“We’re here.”

We scrambled out of the boat and helped schlep gear up the sides of the gulley the river had turned into. Kate went last. I exchanged looks. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. We have to find answers here.”

“We will. Changing polarities now.” I hit a switch on her wheelchair and it hovered, soaring upward. “Or none of us will survive.”

Word Count: 225

Written: 9/28/18

Tags: dark, dystopia, fiction, flash fiction, Piccadilly, Write the Story, Writing