Serenity #writephoto

42 Replies

Photo by Sue Vincent

It was one of those blue days.  The sky hung low, the clouds wafted off of the perfectly smooth ocean, half masking the ghost of a sun.

It fitted Matt’s mood perfectly. Yes, calm, almost serene, yet blue.

Why do people have to die? And young people who have done no wrong?  Why?

His eye cast down; he kicked a stone.

“What’s this?”

The glint mixed in with the pebbles on the beach seemed to more than reflect the outward light, it glowed on its own.

Matt began to scrape the loose sand and stone away and soon pulled up an ancient lamp.

As he was wiping the accumulated dirt and grime form the bejeweled, if somewhat battered, lighting fixture, the thing began to shake and glow.

Soon a 50-foot man stood before him.

“Free at last!  Now I can take my vengeance on the pitiful beings known as mankind kind!”

The huge voice shook the ground, causing ripples to spread out across the ocean.

“Uhm, who are you?” Matt asked.

The giant shrunk down to Matt’s size.

“Oh, hi!  I’ve been stuck in this lamp for over 3500 years!  You freed me, so I’m going to grant you three wishes.  Be careful, for the more selfish your wish, the more unpredictable.”

Matt shrugged because he knew exactly the first wish.

“I want the researches to find a cure for all cancers!  One that is not very intrusive.  If only it could have been found a year ago, but, no, I don’t want it for me, I want it so others won’t have to know the pain I’ve been going through. Yes, a cure for cancer.”

The genie closed his eyes for a moment, then said, “Done.  Some researchers have just discovered an easy, inexpensive way to cure cancer.  It will take a couple of years for trials and such, but it will be open to the public in a very short time.”

“Thank you!” Matt said.

“Do you have another wish?”

“Oh, I forgot.  Let me think.  Uhm, hunger!  That’s it.  I would like a way to feed the world’s people in such a way that it not cause any more environmental damage to the planet.  Nutritious, delicious, but no cutting down forests, no depleting resources, no greenhouse gases.  You know the routine.”

The genie closed his eyes.  “Done! Researchers have just cultivated a fungus that is delicious and nutritious.  It can be grown anywhere, gaining its nutrients from the air.  It will even take up surplus carbon from the air.  It can be grown large scale or small, so nobody will have a want.  A little bit will provide a human with everything they need, all vitamins, minerals, and other micro-nutrients.”

“Fantastic!”

“One more wish and then I will mosey along…”

“Wow, you learned modern English pretty fast,” Matt said.

“Hey, it gets boring in a lamp…  Anyway, what is your final wish?”

Matt thought for a minute, taking in the serenity of his peaceful surroundings and it hit him, the ultimate wish.

“I want world peace.  I want fighting between men to stop this instant. No war, no conflict, ever-lasting peace.”

The genie closed his eyes.  The sky shone even bluer than before.  “Done,” said the genie.

Only he was talking to himself, for mankind had been erased from the planet.

The genie smiled, then closed his eyes again.  All of his people were freed from the long entombment, but he would wait for a while before searching any out.  He sat back and watched the calm ocean in serenity to enjoy the moment.

***

OK, OK, it was a bit of a cliché, but…  In fact, I think I posted a variation of this at least once on the blog.  lol, Oh well, it was the first thing I thought of ;)

**

This was written for Sue Vincent’s writephoto challenge.  She provided the photo at the top and the key word, serenity.

42 thoughts on “Serenity #writephoto”

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  9. Pingback: Serenity ~Trent P. McDonald #writephoto | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

    1. trentpmcd Post author

      He was a mean genie from the start – the first thing out of the bottle and he wanted to wreak vengeance. Poor Matt just gave him an excuse ;) Yep, he was even warned to be careful….

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        1. trentpmcd Post author

          I would say this is more of a retellign of an old story than real fan fiction, but in ways they are the same idea. From what I understand, fan fiction would be using characters and settings from a known story (Star Wars, Batman, Cat in the Hat ;) ) and creating your own story around them.

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