The exercise:
Today we write about: monsters of the future.
You can blame Greg for that. Or if you've already been thinking about what you would write for this prompt, then I suppose you could thank him instead. Up to you.
Had a bit of a challenging night with Max, as he was up and fussing from around 1 am until 5 am. Kat and I managed to squeeze in a nap this afternoon, so that helped, but we're hoping for an easier time tonight.
I'm not sure that we have anything planned for tomorrow. Probably forgetting something, but for now it feels pretty nice.
Mine:
"I find the term monster rather irksome."
He strides back and forth before me, hands clasped behind his back. His observation was not prompted by anything I can see, but I have become used to this in the past days... or is it weeks? I think that he has entire conversations in his head that eventually seep out from between his lips. Because he is aware of all that has gone on before this point, he never feels the need to explain it to me.
That is my theory, at least.
"It is a label bandied about by simpletons too lazy to embark on a proper investigation of a man's motives and vision. My stomach turns at the mere thought of being called a monster."
My eyes track his movement, first to my left, then to my right. The room is poorly lit but the gloom is unable to conceal the mad gleam in his eyes. I am finding it difficult to remain calm.
"But surely that is how they will view me years from now, those pathetic investigators assigned to my case. Perhaps if their skulls contained even a shred of brain matter they would think otherwise. Then again... if that were the case, I would likely be behind bars now and you, dear sir, would be out walking the world a free man. Don't you think?"
I remain silent. The duct tape pressed against my mouth makes sure of that.
"No, you are quite correct... it matters not. They are fools, so here we are. And here we shall remain, until I decide otherwise."
He stops suddenly before approaching me with quick, soft steps. A quizzical tilt of his head, a ghost of a smile.
"I'm sorry, did I dash your hopes? I had no idea that you were still holding on to any! Well then, let me be perfectly clear: you are mine to do with as I please, Mr. President. The Secret Service have absolutely no idea where you are."
3 comments:
I'm not sure I should be blamed for inspiring prompts... but perhaps I do throw casual suggestions out there without considering the consequences :)
I hope Max doesn't get into a routine of waking up at 1am for your sake! And it was definitely good that you could catch a nap in the afternoon to make up for the broken sleep.
Heh, I like your notion of a man who's considering that the future will consider him a monster, that point of view hadn't occurred to me at all. He monologues very well!
Monsters of the Future
The mom-bot leaned over Jane to tuck her in. She squeaked a little as she did so, a built-in noise with no mechanical source designed to reassure children that the mom-bot was just like them, only more metallic.
"Mom-bot," said Jane, her voice high-pitched and trembling a little. "I'm scared. I think there are monster-bots under the bed."
The mom-bot said nothing at first, simply firing a large X-ray burst at the bed and inspecting the returns.
"Your brother is under the bed," said the mom-bot. "He is trying to scare you." One arm extended out, lengthening and flexing as it disappeared under the bed, seized her little brother and hauled him out.
"It is past your bedtime," said the mom-bot severely to the little boy. "Goodnight Jane!"
"I feel warm," said Jane sleepily.
-----
Fifty-five years later, the man who invented the mom-bot died just in time to avoid the court cases brought by the people who'd survived a mom-bot childhood. Many of them called for him to be posthumously declared a monster, as the X-ray bursts had caused so many illnesses and cancers. The public opinion was overwhelming, and for the first time ever, the government declared a demonisation. Delighted parents then used him as a monster to scare their children with: "Be good or the mom-bot-man will set his mom-bots on you!"
Greg - I was tempted to go another route with mine, but that particular idea wouldn't leave me alone. Plus, I couldn't come up with a really good future monster.
I did enjoy your take on the prompt though! The 'I feel warm' line was particularly inspired :)
Technological advances are great. As a human being living in todays society I cannot imagine life without computers, cellular devices, or the world wide web. All these things are great except for one fact that many people have accepted. That fact that technology is very much the monster of the future. It is all consuming mind, body, and soul. Technology use which used to be labeled as a luxurious want is now a need for every living being who wants a known existence in this world. And soon enough technology will be able to create its own mind, body, and soul. The question I always wonder is "how far is too far" when it comes to technological advances. And I prove my point since in order to submit this I had to prove I am not a robot. Yes, technology is definitely the monster of the future.
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