by

Flash Fiction #115

lanterns

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Light was the first thing to be lost when “The Wave” rolled through. Electricity stopped flowing, technology disappeared and we reverted to the lives our ancestors had endured, hundreds of years ago.

No-one knew what had caused it, but it was the end of civilization as we knew it. The superstitious called it ‘Magic.’  The religious claimed that it was the wrath of God.  Who knew what scientists called it?  All media, including the internet, had winked out of existence!

The Third World countries scarcely noticed it, and Survivalists suddenly had more friends and followers than any Kardashian ever had.

***

Go to Rochelle’s Addicted to Purple site and use her Wednesday photo as a prompt to write a complete 100 word story.

27 thoughts on “Flash Fiction #115”

  1. Jim Wheeler says:
    October 14, 2016 at 10:51 am

    Now this is an interesting topic, and one that could actually happen. It could be triggered by what’s called a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on the sun. The Stuff You Should Know site says a CME actually hit Earth in 1859, and it could again. In part, it says this:

    Today, we depend much more heavily upon electronics and electricity than we did in 1859. If a similar solar superstorm were to hit us now, we’d be in trouble. The magnetic forces would induce electricity in any large conductor. That includes power transformers and the power grid itself.

    That’s not the end of the bad news. The power grid in North America operates at near capacity. It wouldn’t be able to handle the increased electrical load from a solar superstorm. Power lines could sag and even snap as a result. Massive power outages could affect much of the continent. The magnetic fluctuations would interfere with radio signals, and communication and satellite systems would collapse as well.

    It could take weeks or months to repair the damage. During that time, people would have no way to find out what was going on. Emergency services would face serious challenges. While the magnetic fields would probably not short out individual electronics devices like cell phones or computers, communications systems could fail regionally. In other words, small devices would still work but would lack the services they require to be useful.

    It’s possible that a CME could even affect your computer and cause glitches. In most cases, a simple reboot would solve the problem. But with the loss of the power grid, you’d be limited by your battery’s charge. Once that ran out, you’d be stuck.

    There’s no way to prevent a solar superstorm but there are steps we can take to limit the impact of a CME. One is to overhaul the power grid system. We need a smart grid that isn’t operating so close to capacity as our current grid. We also need to develop shielding to protect our electrical infrastructure from magnetic fluctuations as much as possible.

    Fix the utility grid? Ha. Like that’s going to happen. The world has other priorities, as in the break-up of Brad and Angelina. 😦
    Here’s the link to the full article.

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    • Archon's Den says:
      October 14, 2016 at 1:50 pm

      I am aware of the CME possibility, but wasn’t really thinking of it when I got inspiration for this little tale.
      Can Brangelina be cute, even in a catastrophe? It’s scary to think how many sheep people could muddle through the end of the world, but still demand divorce updates via carrier pigeon. 😯

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  2. BrainRants says:
    October 14, 2016 at 11:08 am

    This is kind of science-fiction-y. Nice work!

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  3. Indira says:
    October 14, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    Interesting.

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  4. Sightsnbytes says:
    October 14, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    I think this was a TV show….

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  5. rochellewisoff says:
    October 14, 2016 at 5:47 pm

    Dear Archon,

    I shudder with cold chills.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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  6. Life Lessons of a Dog Lover says:
    October 14, 2016 at 6:26 pm

    At the end of your dark tale you made me smile with the line about the Kardashians. Nicely done.

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  7. Claire Fuller says:
    October 15, 2016 at 10:05 am

    I wonder if this is the way it will go? Nice piece.

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  8. michael1148humphris says:
    October 15, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    This piece felt journalistic and begs the question, are we becoming too dependent on one way of living.

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    • Archon's Den says:
      October 16, 2016 at 10:56 pm

      Perhaps we are, and, like Climate Change, corporations don’t want to spend money on social insurance, and reduce their profits. They are betting that nothing bad will happen. 😦

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  9. Inside the Mind of Isadora says:
    October 15, 2016 at 4:42 pm

    A timely piece, Archon.
    Having just experienced the lack of electricity from Hurricane Matthew who decided to pay Florida a list, I can relate to this story. Nicely done ..
    Isadora 😎

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  10. Margaret says:
    October 17, 2016 at 6:28 pm

    Our dependence on technology is a big worry. Nicely portrayed in your story. I particularly liked your ending – Kardashians and the plight of third world countries in the same sentence!

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    • Archon's Den says:
      October 17, 2016 at 6:44 pm

      Especially in the developed World, so many things are inter-connected, and dependent on each other. The East Coast blackout of a few years ago is already a good example. I’m happy that you noticed and liked my little spider web. 🙂

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  11. Lizy says:
    October 18, 2016 at 3:21 am

    That last line did it for me – great story, and a warning?

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