Flash Friday Fiction: Nature vs. Nurture

Shipwreck in the desert.
Shipwreck of the United Malika in Cap Blanc, Mauritania. CC photo by Jbdodane.

Nature vs. Nurture – 210 words

Captain’s Log:

We have run aground. The ship’s engines are destroyed. Chaos reigns. Only Captain America, Spiderman, and I are courageous enough to brave the wilderness before us. We set off in search of food, in search of water, in search of safety in this hostile land. Suddenly, a loud rumbling, like the heaviest of thunder, echoes through our ears.

“Thomas!”

An alien. A mind-reading alien. We seek cover, but there is none to be found.

“Thomas Keith Sullivan!”

Augh! The alien controls my brain, reading my innermost thoughts, stealing my identity.

“Tommy, it’s almost bedtime. Time to get out of the bath.”

Mission abort. Mission abort.

The earth shakes as the alien approaches. It flings open the ship’s hatch. We are doomed. No hope for survival.

“Gracious, Thomas, that tub is filthy! I swear there’s more dirt than water in there.”

Resignedly, I relinquish my crew to the clutches of the hostile lifeform before me. But I shall not surrender. A captain goes down with his ship.

“Here’s your towel. Dry off, get your PJs on, and you can have a cookie before bed.”

Alas. The alien’s methods of interrogation have proven too powerful. Tomorrow is a new day. There will be other ships.

And I want a cookie.

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This week’s challenge within our 200 (+/-10) word limit was to include a man vs. nature conflict in conjunction with the photo prompt. I may have veered off more into man vs. alien territory, but I still giggle at my own result. What do you think?

Jetset on over to Flash Friday Fiction to read more creative tales, and perhaps even add one of your own.

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