Let me tell you the account of trying to bring light to a Friday Fictioneers story this week. I had an idea I liked and wrote the story this evening. It came out to 119 words and I couldn’t reduce it without sacrificing vital parts of the story. So I wrote another one, which I liked even better. That one came out at 128 words and again, I didn’t want to sacrifice any of it. So I wrote a third story, which luckily came out to 100 words. That’s the one below, but if you want to read the other two, I’m going to post them on my blog tomorrow and Saturday. This week’s picture is thanks to Claire Fuller, the author of the award-winning novel, Our Endless Numbered Days.
copyright Claire Fuller
The Submariner’s Dream
I dream the alarms sounded. I ran to battle stations, shoving past fear-sweating men in claustrophobic hallways.
I dream they waited for me at the missile room door. I had the keys. Buttons were pushed, codes entered, access granted: all perfect protocol.
I dream the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” lilted around us as we shot our world-ending payload out into the frosty Arctic night, leaving us empty, spent.
I awake, feeling hollow. I go to the bridge.
“Any contact yet?”
The captain shakes his head, despair in his eyes.
I take two more pills and sleep.
I dream the alarms sounded . . .
The Green-Walled Tower 
August 27th, 2015 at 10:26 pm
Oh wow…Leave the player hanging. That…is well done. And I cannot wait to see the rest of your works coming up.
August 30th, 2015 at 7:20 pm
Thanks Miles. I appreciate the comment. I like this one too.
August 28th, 2015 at 2:00 am
Repeating nightmare: what a curse!
Good piece.
August 28th, 2015 at 2:03 am
Deja vu all over again. I’ll be back tomorrow for some more. 🙂
August 30th, 2015 at 7:19 pm
Thanks!
August 28th, 2015 at 2:34 am
I love this – the dark tone, the repetition, the feeling that something terrible has happened, or is about to. My favourite piece this week so far. (And thanks for the mention of Our Endless Numbered Days.)
Claire
August 30th, 2015 at 7:19 pm
Thank you so much, Claire. Glad you liked it. And congratulations again on the win. I saw the post about being long-listed, then short-listed, but missed the last one, seemingly. I’m very happy for you. 🙂
August 31st, 2015 at 3:49 am
Thanks David!
August 28th, 2015 at 3:48 am
Dear David,
I have had many submariner’s dreams in my time. This was a good one. Looking forward to reading your other stories and I like the way you hung on to them and shared. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
August 30th, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Thank you, Doug. I’m glad you liked it. I’ve posted one of the others already; I’ll do the next one tomorrow.
-David
August 28th, 2015 at 6:30 am
What a nightmare!
Rosey Pinkerton’s blog
August 29th, 2015 at 10:13 pm
Yeah, really. I can’t imagine.
August 28th, 2015 at 6:48 am
Dear David,
Once more you’ve shown us how it’s done. I’ll be back to read the other stories.
Shalom,
Rochelle
August 29th, 2015 at 10:13 pm
Thanks, Rochelle. I was a bit slow posting the others, although I put one up today.
August 28th, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Ouch. Poor guy is under a lot of pressure. Submariners, especially “boomer” crews that contain nuclear missiles have a massive responsibility. I don’t doubt some have endless dreams. Great story! 🙂
August 29th, 2015 at 2:22 pm
Thanks! I wouldn’t want that kind of responsibility on me.
August 28th, 2015 at 10:17 pm
Wonderful and chilling!
August 29th, 2015 at 2:21 pm
Thanks so much, Joy. 🙂
August 29th, 2015 at 3:01 am
Very chilling. The repetition works really well.
August 29th, 2015 at 2:21 pm
Thanks, Sandra.
August 29th, 2015 at 2:20 pm
[…] copyright Claire Fuller (is it cheating to use it for a non-FF story?) […]
August 29th, 2015 at 3:30 pm
Oh, what a horrible dream and to repeat it. Such fine details that have a lot emotional range to them. I feel his misery and the horrible thing about this is that you can get off that boat! You know it’s a good prompt when it inspire more stories. I’ll be back for more. Nice work, David.
August 30th, 2015 at 7:15 pm
Thanks, Amy. I appreciate you reading. I’d like to write this into a longer story sometime, when I get the chance.
August 30th, 2015 at 10:39 pm
That’s a great idea! You should do it.
August 29th, 2015 at 4:50 pm
The feeling of claustrophobia and tension is gripping. I like the circularity of the story, and the feeling at the end – is it just a dream this time, I wonder?
August 30th, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Thanks. Is it a dream, indeed. It seems that most readers took this only as a dream, but I was intending that it had actually happened and he kept dreaming about it, as they sailed around, trying to find someone who was still alive outside.
August 30th, 2015 at 11:51 pm
It was clear that there was more than just dreaming going on. It’s a great story.
August 31st, 2015 at 3:31 am
fantastic!
August 31st, 2015 at 8:23 am
I would hate having to be locked into a submarine.. there is that tension, that feels something is likely to happen soon.
September 3rd, 2015 at 9:17 pm
I don’t think I would do very well, but it’s hard to know until you’re there. I used to want to be an astronaut and that’s even worse, in terms of confinement.
September 1st, 2015 at 12:19 pm
I think I’ve been there.