Friday 31 October 2014

GREY








FLASH FICTION, POETRY, NON-FICTION, ARTWORK, PHOTO ESSAY
JOIN IN THE FUN! SPREAD THE WORD!!
  1. SUBMIT your name and URL to the list below NOW and post on October 31st, Halloween
  2. CREATE your GHOST STORY
  3. EDIT your entry.
  4. PUBLISH your entry on your blog on October 31st, stating feedback preferences.
  5. READ other entries, giving feedback as requested.




Grey



The fog descended blanketing the entire land in a grey drizzle
North to South, East to West, the terrain felt so sterile
Insidious moistness crept into the very fibre of their beings
Feeling adrift, isolated, alone and unable to get their bearings
The non-stop whispering began undulating amongst them
Hissing sibilant sounds catching in their throats like phlegm

They stood outside their hovels and homes
This stillness, grey, not even monochrome
No break-up or alleviation of the dreariness of the day
Hope dwindling that there might be another way
The sunlight couldn’t break through
 A whisper of a sunbeam, an insipid light, fighting
Always fighting to find a way to stop the choking

The warning signs had been there all along
The scaremongers had warned they didn't belong

Nobody listened. 
They were a cult,
It wouldn't happen.
It couldn't happen

This was the 21st century

The powers-that-be
Said everything was under control
Quietly they looked for a loophole
They had everything at their fingertips
A press of a button would help the townships
Then communications started to fail
The trusted technology could not prevail
They went back to old ways of communication
Fear was ever present, a permanent question
Lingered, unspoken, on everybody’s lips
As they looked for help against the apocalypse

No food, no water, no power, no defence
The nights were cold, the days were tense
Friends against friends, families turned
Anarchy reined, people interned

Slowly they gathered in small groups that grew
Into larger, more organised enclaves
They vowed to find a way
There would be another dawn, another day

The warning signs were slow but sure
A few spoke out, regarded as amateurs




They couldn’t believe the sun wouldn’t shine again.
Gradually they gained more faith in their spokesmen
A posse of strong men and women who believed the sun would appear
And it would shine down on their land and make everything clear
 





They thought they knew the culprits
They pushed against the unknown spirits
They prayed to long forgotten gods and goddesses
Invoking long forgotten prayers
Incantations, spells and wizardry became the norm
Hoping against hope that the next day would be born
And all would be right with the world as they used to know it

The sun would appear and gradually burn away the greyness
Joy would come to the world again and chase away the foulness.


 


10 comments:

  1. Oh that's scary indeed. I think I need some Little Orphan Annie (The sun will come out) to counter these dreary feelings. And to think, today is all rainy and I'm loving it. Maybe I should be worried . .

    This is my favorite line: Hissing sibilant sounds catching in their throats like phlegm

    Happy Halloween Sally

    ReplyDelete
  2. I too, love the grey once in a while, but sunshine is life. It would bring out the worst in the world, if the fog obliterated the sun! Well done!

    Have a spooky sweet Halloween!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sally. At first it reminded me of Britain when I was over there during the last lot of really bad weather 2013/14. Saw nothing else on SkyNews and CNN. However, you took it to another level. I can believe in a UK where the sun don't shine. I like the sinister feel of this and think you combined setting and incantations, spells and wizardry masterfully into a great, creepy Halloween tale.

    Thanks for participating in the WEP challenge Sally. Your pieces are always unique.

    Denise :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. So very well done. I felt the cold and the gray, and hate the thought of fear ruling all in mindless ferocity. This kind of story is more scary to me than a "typical" ghost story or horror story because it rings so clearly of truth.

    ReplyDelete
  5. As long as there is hope, humans can fight on. Enjoyed this tale of coping with what we don't understand. Of course our systems can fail, and with no backup for technology, man usually reverts to the basic needs.

    Unique interpretation, Sally, and a tale that harkens to what is important, not the latest techie toys, but hope in the face of disaster and perseverance. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This was truly intimidating. Sometimes I wonder if I could survive if I never saw or felt the warmth of the sun in the spring. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  7. Apocalypse is a theme that haunts many human beings isn't it? Your words made me pause for reflection. I love the polarity of this poem. The way you express the power and passion and eternal optimism of the human spirit even in the depths of a living hell. I too believe that the light will ultimately prevail over darkness. Thank you for sharing. Hope you had a haunted Halloween!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Decidedly creepy, the grey apocalypse. It's funny how we fall back on age old practices when we can't make sense of the world with our modern tools. Enjoyed your take on the prompt, different and unique.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Sally
    Boy, losing everything and faced with never ending gray would drive a person nuts. I can believe that they would be tempted to revert to paganism. Well written and spooky.
    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Scary, but you let hope reign. And that's the story of this world.

    ReplyDelete