I mistakenly put the wron link on the InLinkz page of July 16, that may be why you landed here, on last week’s story. Here’s the new one: https://ghlearner.wordpress.com/2021/07/16/solitude-friday-fictioneers-flash-fiction/ – sorry about the confusion.
Every Wednesday we get a new picture prompt for the Friday Fictioneers, a writing challenge graciously hosted by our Fairy Blog Mother Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.
The task of the challenge is to write a story: beginning, middle, and end, in 100 words or less. You can find all the Fictioneers’ stories when you click on the little frog. Please read, comment, and if you like, join the fun. Everyone is welcome.
Surprise!
The planet is gorgeous. With climate zones from tropical to polar, with lush forests and wide prairies it seems ideal for project Earth-2.
Janey and I are surveying potential sites for settlement when we come across the clearing. We stare dumbfounded at the endless rows of tree stumps. The clean cuts could’ve only been made by power tools.
“All our plans down the drain,” Janey says.
“But why didn’t we detect any technology from orbit?” I ask.
“That’s why!” Janey shrieks and points at the gigantic sauropsid that’s emerged from the forest. Its strong jaws don’t need technology.
We run.
(100 words)
It may not be a sauropsid at all, but one of Michael’s Saturn dragons, who knows?
I’m sorry, this is the best I could come up with this week, too much work.
Write already! 
When a creature can make a clean cut like that, it is best to run! Fun (well, not for the explorers) stuff!
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Let’s hope they aren’t like the move T-Rex’s and go after movement. 😉 Thank you!
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No kidding! Stay very, very still…
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🙂
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It wouldn’t be a quest if they didn’t have a few setbacks at the beginning. It doesn’t look the local beasties have ray guns, so that’s hopeful
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Thank you!
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Wow they just landed in a horror show!
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Just imagine, LOL. Thank you.
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That’s time travel for you,landing at the wrong time and place, they need to get their dial checked. Fun read.
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Thank you! Initially I had meant that as another planet, but you’re right. It also works for time travel.
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Chuckles. ’bout like we’re doing to Earth 1, after all.
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Hehe. Thank you! Let’s hope the sauropsids don’t face the fate of the mammoth.
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Well, at least it’s not going to be us ruining this planet!
I Googled “sauropsid” and got the following:
“Sauropsida is a clade of amniotes, broadly equivalent to the class Reptilia. Sauropsida is the sister taxon to Synapsida.”
Haha I understand nearly no words of the “explanation” 😮 A “clade of amniotes”… now they’re just making words up 😉
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Hehehe. Thank you.
No, not just made up. Amniotes just means that the embryos have a membrane that encloses them and the ‘amniotic fluid’ in which they float – this is true for reptiles and birds (sauropsids) and mammals.
That’s just biological taxonomy, you have two empires (or super-kingdoms (true nucleus and not-true nucleus where the DNA just floats around in the cell), seven kingdoms, among them animals, plants, bacteria, fungi etc. These are divided further (like vertebrates (everything with a spine) and non-vertebrates (everything without a spine)) and so on, and so on until you get down to families, species and variations.
I kept it vague because: strange planet. On first sight, while running in terror, a precise classification might be a bit tricky. 😉
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Blimey 😮
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LOL, sorry about the sermon…
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I learnt something 🙂
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what a sigh of relief to know they survived to tell the story. 🙂
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They are fast runners. 🙂 Thank you.
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No need to apologize. This is a grand story 🙂
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Thank you so much! It felt a bit rushed to me, I didn’t have time for much polishing. 🙂
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Vegetarian dragons, or maybe an omnivore. Good idea to run!
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I think so too. When cows eat grass, I don’t think they care if grasshoppers, aphids or beetles are around. Adds protein. 😉 Thank you.
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🙂 You’re welcome, Gah.
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It’s a pain when work gets in the way of writing! I enjoyed your take on the prompt
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Yes it is, what are they thinking to constantly want stuff from me. 😉 Thank you Penny. It was a bit rushed but I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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Not a surprise they’re likely to survive!
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That’s not very probable if that beast runs fast. 🙂 Thank you.
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Dear Gabi,
I had to Google Sauropsid. Not something I’d want to run into on a dark night. Or even a bright day. I guess their search will continue. Reminds me of sci fi movies from the 1950’s. Fun stuff.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle. That 50ies vibe? That’s exactly what I was thinking of. People heroically wandering around in cheesy space suits with ray guns. 😀 Like the covers of the old SciFi magazines – and some books, too.
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Well done. And…I was thinking the same thing, they should run!
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I guess that’s the best choice. Thank you Brenda.
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Oh oh! Run for it.
Terrific tale. Very gripping!
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Haha, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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Whoops! Wrong planet. No point ending up as a snack for a lizard face.
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Heheh, that’s true. Thank you.
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It seemed perfect until …! No need to apologise, this is great!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Now, I understand when people say, “I hate surprises,” it’s because they’ve come face to face with a gigantic sauropsid.
It doesn’t sound like making friends with the local inhabitants is an option. Those hunts for new worlds scarcely work out on the first try.
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LOL. Yes indeed. Better keep searching.
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Hate to imagine what that creature can do to flesh. Abort this mission. Unique take on then prompt – I like it.
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Abort the mission, absolutely! Thank you, I’m glad you liked it.
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My definition of a Sauropsid, is a human with a chainsaw. I and Saturn’s dragons see chainsaws as the number one enemy,
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You and the Saturnians are very strict. Thank you!
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Not something you’d want to run into on a dark night.
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Thank you Sandra, but I made a mistake and put the wrong link on the InLinkz site this week. This here is the story for the week: https://ghlearner.wordpress.com/2021/07/16/solitude-friday-fictioneers-flash-fiction/
This is not my day…
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