Requiem in Amber
Walk to the grey city at the edge of the long-dry sea, past the corpses of ancient architecture.
Go to the center where it all ended, the gothic hall where that otherworldly bomb landed, obliterating everyone, leaving everything.
Sit anywhere you like—you’re the only audience today. Maybe ever.
Listen to the orchestra playing in their bubble of time, like music trapped in amber. They endlessly loop the 122 minutes before the bomb, unaware of the dead world outside. Odd how that happened.
Close your eyes.
Relax.
If you fall asleep, you can hear it all again in two hours.
January 13th, 2021 at 8:00 pm
Original and unique. I liked the idea of time being caught in amber–in an endless loop.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:34 pm
Thanks, Linda. That would be an interesting premise for a novel or movie, coming across that and deciding what to do about it.
January 14th, 2021 at 3:51 am
I love this, David.
Brilliant idea, expertly portrayed.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Thank you, C.E. I appreciate your comment. 🙂
January 14th, 2021 at 4:14 am
There was something very disquieting about that endless loop. Very well done David.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Thanks, Sandra. It’s definitely the sort of thing you wouldn’t want to think about much since it might drive you crazy, just the thought of it.
January 14th, 2021 at 4:28 am
The atmosphere of this piece is beatifully rendered
January 17th, 2021 at 5:31 pm
Thanks, Neil. Yes, it was very much a study in atmosphere, especially the first half. Glad you liked it.
-David
January 14th, 2021 at 4:38 am
I love this…from title to text. The photo is wonderful. Make you want to listen to a little Mozart as you’re getting dressed.
Goof you’re wrting FFs again.
🙂
January 17th, 2021 at 5:29 pm
Thanks, my friend. Glad you liked it. I really liked this one too. 🙂
January 18th, 2021 at 3:22 am
Isn’t that great, when you like something you’ve created? sigh
January 14th, 2021 at 7:09 am
You made the apocalypse seem oddly calming. Nice one.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:28 pm
Thanks, Iain. When everyone is gone and everything remains, it would be quite peaceful, in a morbid sort of way.
January 14th, 2021 at 10:36 am
An atmospheric, almost haunting piece with a fitting title. Well done David.
My story!
January 17th, 2021 at 5:15 pm
Thanks, Keith. Glad you liked it. 🙂
January 14th, 2021 at 12:37 pm
Enjoyed the surreal quality of the place, the time, the catastrophe. Wonderfully told.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:12 pm
Thank you, Dora. This was one I could really visualize well as I wrote it.
January 14th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Interesting take! Like it a lot!
January 17th, 2021 at 5:11 pm
Thanks, Na’ama!
January 14th, 2021 at 1:54 pm
Dear David,
This has a hollow, haunted feel to it. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
January 17th, 2021 at 5:11 pm
Thanks, Rochelle. That’s pretty much what I was going for. 🙂
January 15th, 2021 at 8:17 pm
I like the creativity and science fiction aspect to your story. In the movie Blade Runner 2049 the main character ends up in Vegas watching a hologram of Elvis in concert.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:10 pm
It’s interesting to see how art is handled in science fiction, if they go for something very minimalist or just do throwbacks to contemporary culture. Thanks for commenting!
January 17th, 2021 at 9:06 pm
Yes it is. You are welcome.
January 16th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
Brilliantly penned, David. You do make the apocalypse sound strangely calming.
January 17th, 2021 at 5:09 pm
Thanks, Dale. I do like this one too. 🙂
January 17th, 2021 at 6:37 pm
🙂
January 16th, 2021 at 10:55 pm
The story has an eerie feel yet with a sense of calm. Nicely done!
January 17th, 2021 at 5:08 pm
Thanks, Brenda! Yes, that’s kind of what I was going for, just that weird surreal feeling. Glad you liked it.
-David