Monday, September 28, 2009

Mike Rises to Another Challenge

FFF - Friday Flash Fiction - And yet another clever hook some blogger has come up with to suck the words out of me whether I want to write or not. A challenge. A dare. It's Randal's fault. I read his entry. Definitely can't reach his level, but it will be interesting and either fun or frustrating. Each one has it's up side. Either the rush of pleasure or the chance to once again purge some of the pent up mania lurking just behind these brown eyes.

The rules are simple. At least I think they are. I have to be cautious when I say anything is simple. I am able to turn the most simple of tasks into intricate nightmares of repetitive agonies, often ending with me running away screaming into the night. But this blogging challenge does seem straight forward. Someone creates a first line and everyone else finishes it however they want. The finished products are submitted for review by someone or anyone. That part is still hazy.

Let's get it on

There was no respite; the vivid, violent dreams that ruthlessly tormented her slumber had now relentlessly stretched the abyss, to envelop her during her day.The doctors had all said she would eventually recover. They consulted with each other and determined her break from reality had been but the result of being too tightly wound. She would be able to get on with her life once Time had worked it's magical ministrations creating curtains and doors she could keep closed if she so desired.

Yet it had been 6 months now and the dreams had not lessened. If anything they had become more intense, more graphic, insisting that she was still actively participating. Everyday she awakened more exhausted than the day before. Everyday she went on automatic. All the small routines and actions she used to take pleasure or pain in, now just items on a list to be checked off and then move on dispassionately to the next one. All the while inside her mind, horrific images and feelings turning over as images on a child's kaleidoscope.

Her co-workers took notice. While some feigned concern, all of them considered her a wounded animal. Each and every one began to scheme how best to take advantage of her weakened condition. She knew this about them. She would have done the same. This was the world in which she existed. The weak became targets. Used for whatever they had to offer and then discarded without another thought. This scared her the most. That she had become one of the Weak. One of the needy people. Her biggest fear had been realized. She felt so helpless.

On September 7th, it all came to a head for her. The anxiety and fears she dreamt of every night and relived every waking hour became reality. No longer trapped as horrific snippets and images inside her mind, they were now in the real world not as fears, but as realities.

"We'll be taking over day to day operations for the foreseeable future Miss Mae", said a well dressed young man with a visitor pass on his lapel. "Any and all decisions will be made from DC now. Please clean out your desk."

That night the woman slept without a care or a worry. No demons visited her that night. Her dreams had not been hallucinations, unrealistic predictions of a world gone mad. The World had indeed gone mad and her dreams had come true. She smiled as she slept.
_____________________________________________________

I was reaching for a tale of irony. What I finally came up with was well, I just am not sure what the hell that was. Anyway, I do have a question that if answered correctly, will not win you anything, but will impress me because the story was damn vague and the point fuzzy as all get out. I did however leave serious clues in my wake.

Who or what does the woman represent?

See Ya...........................................

(658 / 8687)

6 comments:

Demeur said...

Intesesting. You've touched quite well on our current situation. A worker tossed to the curb. A company bought out. A bank taken over by FDIC. Then there was the other thought of someone fighting their insurance company. A little obscure I know.
She'll sleep well for a night or two until the reality that there won't be enough to pay the bills and no jobs in the immediate future. Don't know how many times I've seen that here and the end is not in sight.

Cormac Brown said...

A fine effort, Mr. MaCrum with the grim reality that looms over us all. I have your story loaded for tomorrow morning and BTW, the accompanying jpeg to the yarn through me completely off.

BBC said...

Insanity?

Randal Graves said...

This is obviously a microcosm of the ineptitude of the Browns' franchise. What else could it possibly be?

Ubermilf said...

I like the kaleidoscope thingy. My brain does that all the time but I never thought of it that way.

Commander Zaius said...

The weak became targets.Used for whatever they had to offer and then discarded without another thought.

An excellent and scary story but those two sentences above hit me hard for several reasons that I could talk about all night.

Being very short while I worked in manufacturing (as an electronic technician) I saw the company bring in scores of temporary workers for production lines, worked them as close to slaves as possible holding out the promise of a permanent position only to cut them loose without any warning when orders dropped off.

Seeing proud and hardworking working people walking out of the building in tears tore me to pieces sometimes. Especially after hearing a few speak of the hope of health care benefits, good pay, or just the idea of maybe getting a little ahead.

Sorry for digressing.