
PHOTO PROMPT © Jean L. Hays
Day 4
It is difficult to go anywhere and not see signs of what was the dominate species. Everywhere you look abandoned structures liter the landscape. Their population had collapsed seemingly overnight about a century before we arrived. Did any survive?
Day 9
Studying artifacts, we are piecing together their final days, but no living specimens found.
Day 24
Conclusive evidence proves they are extinct. In the last century of their existence they drove tens of thousands of other species to extinction, they filled their seas with artificial materials and changed their climate. They could have stopped it. Good riddance.
***
Word count = 100
Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo © Jean L. Hays. Read more or join in by following the InLinkz “linky“.
Thanks for visiting, Trent. I find it interesting how many of us went down the dystopian vein, yet presented it in such various ways.
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I try to visit as many FF as possible, but I often don’t make it past early Friday so I miss people who post a little later.
There was something about the ruins in the photo that lend itself to dystopia, particularly given the report that came out on Monday. FF is a great way to see how different people handle a similar subject.
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Could be an unfortunate glimpse into the future. Nice take on the prompt.
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After reading about that report that came out last Monday, that something like a half a million species are at risk, yeah, it could be us. Thanks.
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How could they control the environment and climate, those creatures can not control themselves?
Good riddance.
The climate is responsive, reduce the world’s population and need for energy, and it reduces food production and energy requirements. Unfortunately, human nature is greed.
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Last Monday I read an article about that doomsday report that came out and it talked about how easy it would be to change course. But, as you said, human nature tends towards greed, so I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for that change….
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Greed to exploit everything for a profit must have been the reason. Once the genie is out of the bag, very difficult to put it back in. It is an one way traffic.
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Yes, exactly, but hopefully cooler minds will prevail and put us back on track so we don’t end up like this….
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Let us hope so.
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The way we are going, this is probably too true to life. Or death.
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Yeah, with that report on Monday it is going to be hard for us to avoid it unless we start making changes soon…
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We need those archeologists to investigate a few more sites.
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A few more, but unless the decision makers today take Monday’s report more seriously, I’m afraid the future archeologists’ reports won’t be too different on those other sites…
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Frighteningly on the horizon, good stuff, and shameful to think thats us
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Thanks. yeah, a bit too close to reality…
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Horribly sad. We certainly could stop it. Creative way you told the story. I really enjoyed it!
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We could stop it, and hopefully do! Thanks.
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A good story, Trent. I’m afraid some other race may discover us like that someday and say “Good riddance”. We still do have a chance if we get smarter and work harder. —- Suzanne
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Thanks. We still do have a chance. I saw an estimate on costs and it is tiny compared to military budgets. we need to think of it as a war. But then, we need leaders who look at the long term, and not just short term profits….
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A harsh but accurate assessment and conclusion. I like the journal/report format.
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Thanks. We can always change course, but looking at the world’s leadership, not so sure if that’s a possibility…
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They would have so much garbage to sift through.
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Yes, that planet-wide layer of plastic….
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Loved the format. I fear that will be us one day…
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I hope it isn’t, but the projections show us headed in that direction…. Thanks.
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I like the report log format. You summed it up well. It’s the future without an interruption of our trajectory.
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Yes, this could be us unless we change our ways. Looking at the world’s current leadership, well…. Thanks.
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I understand and agree. You are welcome.
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Very timely and I like your use of a scientific-notes-style diary, to record the bleak eventuality, as good as foretold, by this week’s scientific report on extinctions. A couple typos in first paragraph:dominant and litter. Otherwise Good Riddance seems like a perfectly reasonably summation to the report!
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The (real) report was pretty scary… Thanks. And thanks for pointing out the typos – I’ll try to get back in to correct them.
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Sigh.
Nicely done, though!
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Thanks. I hope we are smart enough to avoid a future like this!
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Amen!
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Sounds like our current situation.
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Some say that if we don’t change it could be our future….
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It’s not too late – is it?
‘Retribution’, my short story.
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Hopefully not! But then, despite the smog, I’m not holding my breath for a course correction ;)
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Good luck to them, hope they make a better home of it than we’ve managed!
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I don’t know how they can be any worse….
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I’m with science on this one.
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yeah, I hope the right people take Monday’s doomsday report seriously….
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A little glimpse of what could be…
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Unfortunately, yes. That report that came out Monday saying over a half million species are in danger, just wow.
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Unbelievable.
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I’m rather fond of the species
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I am too, though sometimes they can be super frustrating….
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Love your take on this week’s prompt Trent.
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Thanks, Colline.
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