Dear Friday Fictioneers,
Our Word Press woes continue to challenge us. Some report not being able to comment on some posts at all. If you think you might be missing someone’s comments, check your spam or trash folders. I’ve found quite a few in mine. Also, many of my commentors are showing up as “Anonymous” or “Someone.” If there’s a doubt, please identify yourself. Sorry I can’t be of more help in these situations. I’m merely a user, not a tech. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMOT © Fleur Lind
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Word Count: 100
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE
Couched in complacency, we never saw it coming.
The first few hours weren’t bad. We figured the electric company would remedy the problem while we enjoyed sandwiches by candlelight. Breaking from social media to actually communicate was nice.
After a month we were still in darkness and the grocery shelves were bare.
My car with its solid-state circuit for a brain is a useless hunk of metal.
Local doctors are at a loss to treat the simplest ailments.
Real books are in demand.
We’re learning to live off the land, but the internet is dead and silence is deafening.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Intriguing! What happened exactly?
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Dear Reena,
The power grid went down. And wouldn’t that paralyze us all? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh!
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This scenario is the nightmare that haunts many people.
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Dear Sadje,
A nightmare indeed. One flick of the switch and the world goes dark. Maybe not that easily, but….Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My pleasure
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Dear Rochelle,
I love that you are showing us another side to your writing chops! This is a scenario that none of us would love to live, methinks. Makes us wonder how it all started…
Shalom and lots of mysterious love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
I confess, this is a reworked rerun from 2014. I wrote it after a rather lengthy power outage. Gets one thinking…what happens if the power never comes back on? It has been a while since I’ve veered off the beaten path. Hm.
Thank you.
Shalom and lotsa manually powered hugs,
Rochelle
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Turns out well… I don’t remember (coz I wasn’t playing yet!) I am not overly curious to find out. Three weeks in 1998 was more than enough for me, thank you very much.
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Back in the days before internet, we had a power outage that lasted a couple of weeks in the dead of inter. We had a tank full of frozen gold fish. Stayed with my inlaw for a few days. It’s not amongst my fondest memories. 😉
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Me too, it was back in the day before my reliance on Internet. Mind you, we ended up staying at my sister’s, both of us preggers and it ended up being a wonderful time.
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I predict the withdrawals from the internet will be spectacular. Older people like us are better suited to the adjustment.
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Dear James,
I don’t know about me. I’m pretty connected to the internet and modern conveniences. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m not sure what will happen when the grid collapses. I’m more of an optimist but I have prepper friends who think civilization would collapse in a day and 90% of the population would die within a month. I think your story is a bit closer to my idea. Anyway, something different from you this week 🙂
BTW – to make myself known, I have to click on the little WordPress icon below the comment to sign me in. If I miss it, that is when I am anonymous.
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Dear Trent,
I hae some prepper friends, too. Sometimes I worry that they’re right. Thank you for your comments. I hope others will see your hint on “anonymous.”
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A world off the grid? So many people today would be at a complete loss as to being able to do anything at all. The silence would be deafening….or would it. The imagination can go wild here as to the possibilities. Good story.
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Dear Jan,
It is a rather daunting concept, isn’t it? Then again, I have shelves full of books begging to be read. Not to mention a few paintings to be rendered. There is the issue of having to write in longhand. 😉 Thanks, m’luv.
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Hi Rochelle,
I ditto the something different from you this week and hope it’s not prophetic. I went to an author talk last week and one of his books is comparing life today with the 60’s and 70’s of his childhood and he mentioned a similar scenario where nobody knows how to find their way around without Google maps etc and an old codger introduces a young guy to a street directory, which in Australia was simply known as “the Gregory’s” after one of the companies who made them. I wrote a post about the evening, which you might find interesting: https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2023/11/28/a-night-with-author-richard-glover/
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Dear Rowena,
This story is a rewrite from a few years back and inspired by a lengthy power outage. That’s when one realizes how dependent we are on technology. As far as Google maps go, I remember traveling with a fold out Rand McNally and being just fine. GPS isn’t always that accurate. 😉 Thank you so much for your kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I do wish we could turn back time on some of the inventions that have ‘improved’ life. More books, less internet would get my vote!
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Dear Iain,
I grew up in a world where the most technological advances we had were radio and television. (and black and white at that!) As a kid I would get lost in my books. How far we’ve come. Or how low we’ve sunk? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is a very scary possibility. Use of EMP is already suspected in Hawaii. It would certainly be devastating on a large scale.
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Don’t know why I showed up as “anonymous” after all these years! This is Granonine.
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Dear Anonymous Linda,
There are a lot of scary things going on in our world today, aren’t there? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That is an interesting scenario, hope that doors not happen.
John Burton
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Dear John,
I hope this isn’t prophetic. Thank you for reading, commenting and identifying yourself. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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If only it went as smoothly as this, I think I can see some advantages. Having seen the toilet paper debacle of 2020, I doubt humans would take to permanently bare supermarket shelves with grace and humility.
And where would we be without the Fictioneers?!
Jen
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Dear Jen,
Isn’t it amazing how we take such simple things as toilet paper for granted until there’s a shortage? I fear the world would turn into an episode of Mad Max should the power shut down. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Life can change in an instant can’t it?
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Yes life can certainly change in an instant. Thank you whoever you are.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We’re way too reliant on electricity. Grids going down would be chaotic. A nightmare. Thought provoking, R.
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Dear Tannille,
We would certainly be in a mell of a hess. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle, your story, although dystopian in nature, has an eerie ring of possibility. I thought this had wider repercussion is a package of few words,
James.
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Dear James,
It does seem to be in the scope of possibility and that scares the you-know-what out of me. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The dystopian future looms ever nearer!
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That was me! Liz.
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Dear Liz,
We do seem to be teetering on the edge, don’t we? Thank you for identifying yourself.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Given sufficient warning, a long-term power outage would be quite an experience, and today’s young people could learn a thing or two from it as well.
Why is ‘Who put the lights out?’ suddenly earworming me?
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Dear Keith,
The young and not so young could learn a thing or two. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The silence would be deafening. I hope this never comes to pass.
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Dear Connie,
It would be a jolt to all of us. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So Rochelle,
Is this a beginning of your dystopian novel? Could be, eh? Well told in any year.
Peace,
Bill
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Dear Bill,
I haven’t really considered writing a dystopian novel. But I never say never. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I would never say that, ever. 🙂
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Dear Rochellle, very appropriate in these troubled times. Wild flowers, however will grow anywhere…and as Alice says « (they) are not weeds ». Sorry for long spell of silence, sketching, writing and snapshotting while Nature is still beautiful. Thanks to Fleur for the photo.
Switch to Jetpack is….. daunting indeed. Susan from Toulouse.
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Dear Susan,
I agree about jetpack. I still don’t really understand it. I do wonder at times how far we are from knocking ourselves back into the dark ages? We might actually learn to appreciate nature. Welcome back and thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is a great piece of writing Rochelle, one of my nightmares – and there would be no Friday Fictioneers!!!😱
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Dear Angela,
Great point. What would we do without Friday Fictioneers? I don’t want to find out. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🤞🏼
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Querida Rochaelle,
I can so connect with this tale. This is how it feels after a hurricane.
Hurricane Ian left us in isolation for 10 days. No nothing … well, our trusty bar b cue considering everything in our home is electric. YIKES!!!
Nicely done, mi amiga. I enjoyed this mucho. Hope everyone is out of the WP nightmare. I am still in it. Have a super great weekend …
Abrazos y Carino,
Shalom, Izzy 😎
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Querida Izzy,
We’ve had some long power outages during the winter with ice storms knocking out the electricity. Not at all fun. Gracias re my story.
Shalom y abrazos,
Rochelle
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I hear you. When I was living in LI,NY we had iced tree branches fall onto power lines. I think every climate has its woes.
Happy Hanukah 🕯
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Oh, the horror, Rochelle!
We are so dependent on power,
not just for warmth and light, but to keep us “connected!”
We feel grounded and safe when in touch with the outside world.
Great take on the image!
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Dear Nancy,
So true. We do feel safe and connected. I good part of my social life is online. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We are so dependent on the internet these days, I can not imagine. Your story helps with that, and it is scary indeed.
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Dear Dawn,
You and me both. I have more friends online than in my physical environment it seems. Scary indeed.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The silence is deafening… what a line.
Great story.
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Thank you so much, Laurie.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You bring up a good point, Rochelle, with the internet the (sight and) sound, both literal and figurative, has been slowly ramping up. Combined with everything that dominoes with no power source, it turns into a major nightmare. My guess is that those who have been scraping by for forever will do the best in that kind of scenario. I agree with Laurie, that’s a great line.
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Dear Lisa,
In the event of a major power outage, the Amish can nod and smile and know they were right all along. 😉 The possibilities are terrifying, aren’t they? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, indeed!
You are welcome,
Shalom,
Lisa
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Brilliant story! This really struck a chord with me, Rochelle. We are so dependent on the infrastructure modern technology has provided, which has made life amazingly richer, and yet I always feel uneasy that we are making ourselves more and more vulnerable. Just last week we actually had a power outage for a few hours. I could relate to the narrator in your story. It was just long enough to be a bit of a relief – candles etc. But longterm? Big problems.
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Dear Margaret,
You’ve said it all. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ooh! I like this one. It reminds me of my next novel project, which is a post-apocalyptic story in which we lose all electricity.
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Silence will always be deafening with no internet. 😁
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