The bones of a long dead society spill out across the horizon as far as you can see.

The bones of a long dead society spill out across the horizon as far as you can see.

The bones of a long dead society spill out across the horizon as far as you can see. Homes, offices, infrastructure – it’s all here, looking vaguely and eerily like any city you’d find back home… just bigger.

But it’s not like home. Here all is silent. All you find as you walk these echoing streets are these lamps on nearly every street corner. A few still glow with faint light.

What do you do?

(Image via Michael Prescott​​ at http://blog.trilemma.com/2016/12/the-call-of-light.html)

3 thoughts on “The bones of a long dead society spill out across the horizon as far as you can see.”

  1. I look down at my wrist. Oxygen levels sit at about half. Enough to press on a bit further before returning to the ship. Just as well, Pax will be worried if I don’t report back soon.

    I step the base of the mound and place a booted foot on the solid form of what looks to be a now petrified over-sized humanoid torso. I reach forward looking for a handhold. The bulky suit will make this climb difficult. But as I take hold of a fragment of stone jutting out above my head and it designates into a cloud of yellow spores that hang still in the air; I am grateful for the protection the suit provides.

    I wave the suspended cloud away and continue my climb. They never tell you how quiet it is out here. The only sound, that of the rebreather cycling air inside the helmet. Almost to the top.

    The faint glow from the lamp illuminates the mound in an eerie green. Looking out across the distance from this vantage point I count the other dots of green light twinkling in the haze. There must be a better way I think to myself.

    I turn back to the lamp, the DuraGlass enclosure crowning the post. With a polished metal punch tool I jab at the casing. It cracks. A rush of air whistles loudly as the pressure inside the lamp regulates. I stab at the casing again and the DuraGlass falls away.

    Brushing away the shards, I reach into the lamp and retrieve my reward. A small glowing cylinder, no longer than my index finger. This will be more than enough to get us off the ground I muse before dropping the charged tube into a receptacle on my belt.

    Just then, a sound. In the distance. In the darkness. I turn. I slip and tumble down the mound. Again, the sound.

  3. The electric company was paying high subsidies to solar-power companies. Electricity rates shot up. The people couldn’t afford food and all died. But at least the street-lamps are automatically powered and will run forever… 🙂

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