Imagine
a city full of filth and disease. There’s precious little plant life as most of
the streets are taken up by a quagmire of mud, while the houses are tumbledown
shacks held together by spit and goodwill. People greet each other with smiles
and nods, but the next minute will be gripped by a fit of hacking coughs that
sees them bent double in agony. Children draw lines in the mud and construct
elaborate games. Needless to say, people look out for each other, knowing that
they haven’t got long. It’s a young population, with an average age of 25, a
testament to this debilitating plague. There’s no governing structure, no
system in place – but a lot of love.
16 comments:
I wonder if and how they (at least, some of them)will be saved .
I love the way you describe the scene, evoking sadness and anticipation in the reader.
Best wishes,
Moon
Time to move.
A good message for us all to remember - be kind to one another.
At least they have each other. What a desolate place.
The Fish Inn, Amble Bay
At least they look after each other and clearly creativity comes for the absence of anything else as the children play. Such a rich idea in a short snippet.
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings - Shapeshifters and Werewolves
https://tashasthinkings.blogspot.co.uk/
Hope all becomes fine with their world.
Though love is great, still they need to address the problems in the surroundings viz. coughing etc that plague them.
An illustration of what can happen if we don't look after the environment? That was my first thought. Good that they have each other for support.
Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
That's a very interesting setting! I like the "looking out for each other" part. It would be so easy to make it a cutthroat place, but not nearly as interesting.
The Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales
It's great that you can convey so much of the place in so few words.
Cait @ Click's Clan
Is there anyway to escape? Is anyone working on a cure? So sad and yet there is comfort - beautiful.
Highlands Days of Fun
Love the name. And the "held together by spit and goodwill" brilliantly captures mood and tone. Well done.
Hi Nick - what a way to live .. but I'm sure many did when the plague was around ... doing what they could for themselves and others ...
Fusterbury is a wonderful name ... cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/g-is-for-goose-gobbling-or-otherwise.html
Wow! This is chilling. Nicely done.
Wow! That's a description and quite a vivid one.
Your story sounds quite grim.
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - 1940s Film Noir
Doesn't sound like a very nice place.
But they have each other and that may serve as the key to their freedom!
*My mind running wild*
Nick, WOW, sounds a lot the early 20th century where many adults didn't make it out of their 20s. So very sad! Have you ever looked at some old photos to realize the people in them are young but they look so old? It's so crazy! Living in horrible health conditions age the body physically. I've lived more than two life times and should be dead if I lived in Fusterbury. :) Happy a2zing!
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