Icy's Blunt Pencil: Friday Flash

Friday, 1 July 2011

Friday Flash - Evolution

This story has been taken down as it is now out for submission!

42 comments:

Sulci Collective said...: I enjoyed this Icy. Nice payoff of the 80% water set up.

marc nash; 1 July 2011 at 09:53
Sam said...: Crikey, and I thought triffids were dangerous! I really enjoyed how you protrayed the plants, very scary, I also really like the sense of the scientists being caught between a rock and a hard place. Let's just hope the plants don't realise all humans are 80% water.; 1 July 2011 at 10:05
Anonymous said...: Your stories are always so different. At first, I thought you were all about ghost stories but every time I visit your site, you've come up with something new and different.

Alan's skull hitting the floor with a crack was a sickening image.

Last line really funny. Is that where your idea started?; 1 July 2011 at 11:42
mazzz_in_Leeds said...: Haha, great payload! I wonder if the other two will be safe as they've been watering the plants happily...; 1 July 2011 at 11:46
Adam John Keeper said...: Enjoyable stuff, always love a green tendril attack. Liked the characters locked in their lab, seemingly in the throws of the end of the world and complaining about the lack of real coffee, had a 'Day of the Dead' vibe to it.; 1 July 2011 at 11:47
Tony Noland said...: Harsh - but it reminds me, my plants need to be watered.

Or else.

Loved the desperate killer tendrils.; 1 July 2011 at 11:49
Icy Sedgwick said...: Marc - That was what set the idea off in the first place. What if plants got so thirsty they started looking elsewhere for water?

Sam - I MAY have been slightly inspired by Mr Wyndham...

Henrietta - Yep! I like to change things up a bit from time to time. I've never really written science fiction before so this was my first real go at it.

Maria - We can but hope!

Adam - I know many writers who would consider the lack of real coffee to be a greater threat than the presence of killer plants.

Tony - I make a point of watering mine now, ever since I wrote this!; 1 July 2011 at 11:55
Anonymous said...: I imagine it might be the "80% wasted" that attracted the plants' attention, along with Alan's callous attitude about the plant he knocked over (kind of had this Men in Black (I) thing -- the bug being protective of the cockroaches). After all, the other scientists ARE watering them -- and will probably be more assiduous about it as time goes by ... :); 1 July 2011 at 12:20
pegjet said...: Where is Alan getting the crossword puzzle books?
Maybe a different genre for you, but I come here expecting creepy (er, no pun intended today), and you deliver.; 1 July 2011 at 12:25
Bevimus said...: Very fun, and very rewarding for the line.; 1 July 2011 at 13:54
Stephen said...: Erk... I thought triffids were bad, but these plants just kinda went for the: 'oh, stop with all the knocking and poisoned stamen rubbish, get your epidermis rolled up and just pull his darned head off!'

Good group of characters, interesting world situation. I liked it. St.; 1 July 2011 at 13:58
Icy Sedgwick said...: Janet - That was kind of the idea, I guess, that Alan's such a dick and the plants single him out for their "special treatment".

Peg - You know, I hadn't even though about that!

Bev - Glad you liked it!

Stephen - Yeah, they don't waste time faffing about. Straight in for what they're after!; 1 July 2011 at 14:00
Anonymous said...: Your ironic tone is wonderful and makes this such an entertaining read. You never disappoint on the laughter front Icy, and it is always inventive.
We both did environmental catastrophe this week. Must be something in the air. Spores probably. From your triffids.; 1 July 2011 at 14:15
Anonymous said...: If I wasn't already paralyzed with a particular phobia of plants, I am now!
Great story Icy. Again, perfect timing with the water set-up. I could learn a lot from your timing.; 1 July 2011 at 14:39
Larry Kollar said...: Great venture into scifi, Icy. Perma-drought, martial law, plants going sentient and carnivorous… and you packed it all into a flash.

I wonder if the plants will figure out that there's only so much water to go around.; 1 July 2011 at 14:41
John Wiswell said...: Lydia's pretty tolerant of Alan, all things considered. Paying him to snark off and gripe about doing work? Selective pressures might have got him if the water supply didn't.; 1 July 2011 at 15:39
Anthony Deaver said...: Yea, I'll be watering a lot more often now. I'd be interested to hear more about this world. What happened to the rain?!; 1 July 2011 at 16:20
Lee-Ann said...: Holy crap. So that's why I don't garden. Haha. Brilliantly, vividly written.; 1 July 2011 at 16:38
Anonymous said...: Well! Fat lot of appreciation those plants have huh? Very well done Icy! Your use of the 80% water makes me think of the post you did at FYW on Chekhov's Gun - great proof here!; 1 July 2011 at 17:13
Tim VanSant Writes said...: You had me at multiverse. Nice one.; 1 July 2011 at 18:08
Sam Pennington said...: That's an excellant story Icy. I love the range of stuff you write, you have an amazing imagination. This felt so much like a scary Dr Who episode, I'm feeling tempted to go and hide behind the sofa! Brilliant stuff x; 1 July 2011 at 18:15
Anonymous said...: Excellent story! really good. Loved the ending!; 1 July 2011 at 21:37
Raven Corinn Carluk said...: Brilliant. That's going gren; 1 July 2011 at 21:56
Icy Sedgwick said...: Justin - I like to think I'd keep plants like these and call them "my babies". But then I'm just Poison Ivy waiting to happen.

Ian - I LOVE plants. I've got seven of them in my studio flat as it is. As for timing, I learned how to do it through a combination of film studies and practice. *nods*

FAR - Yeah, why do anything by halves? I think the plants might need to evolve a heck of a lot more to survive this one.

John - I don't think she's got much choice.

Anthony - I don't even know myself. I don't think they do!

Lee-Ann - Thanks!

Deanna - I love plants, I really do. My flat's so much more cheerful since I started looking after mine. And after writing this, I REALLY look after mine!

Tim - Well we all know how taken I am with the concept of the multiverse...

Sam - Thank you! I have a weird mind. But it makes daydreaming fun ^_^ I wonder what the Doctor would do in this situation?

Sonia - Thanks!

Raven - Waste not, want not...; 1 July 2011 at 22:06
Anonymous said...: I will not forget to water my plants. I like how the comment made at the begining worked its way back in with a more menacing outcome.; 1 July 2011 at 23:53
Anonymous said...: Dammit! I was just cursing the plants in our office today, too! I better be more careful. Another great tale from the lovely, Icy. You always pull me and I feel like I'm sitting right in the middle of the action.; 2 July 2011 at 04:41
Helen A. Howell said...: Coo blimey day of the triffids all over again, where's the bottle of defender when you need it!
The lack of water in this story really struck home, as living in Australia we have just come out of a very long drought, and I watched some of my precious garden die during that time. We ourselves were on restrictions.
An interesting concept, keeping the plants alive, because if you didn't you might not have a food source in the future - seems the plants found their own food source - creepy icy!

helen-scribbles; 2 July 2011 at 06:03
Steve Green said...: Nice one Icy, I do like to read a good apocalyptic scenario, are you thinking of taking these plants on a hunting trip to the city?; 2 July 2011 at 11:02
Stephen said...: I loved the ending. It's good to know that even worthless humans have some value.; 2 July 2011 at 12:01
Spot said...: Loved the irony of the ending. And the set up was great.

Stacey; 2 July 2011 at 14:54
Unknown said...: You gotta love your plants.

Living in the land of 10,000 lakes, I don't really feel the problem of lack of water much myself, but even so, we are sucking our aquifers pretty dry. It's only a matter of time before this becomes reality I'm afraid...well not the violent plants I hope :); 2 July 2011 at 16:01
Icy Sedgwick said...: Lara - I do like my foreshadowing. And yes, water your plants! I, in turn, will hang up my towels.

Danni - I think that effect comes from studying films and writing as though I'm watching one.

Helen - In most post apocalyptic worlds, you see the plants regain control and run rampant since nature will always find a way, but then I thought "what if there was a drought?" I love plants so I can't help siding with them...

Steve - Ooh I hadn't, but never say never!

Stephen - What a lovely way to think about it!

Stacey - Thanks!

Michael - Well you have to wonder what kind of plants they were growing - and why! Hopefully your average pot of roses won't turn violent.; 2 July 2011 at 16:42
Chuck Allen said...: Awesome story, Icy. I like the way it started so serene and calm and then the ending hits with a fury. I think I'll go water my lawn now - what's left of it.; 2 July 2011 at 17:03
Anonymous said...: Loved it Icy!; 3 July 2011 at 00:00
Mari said...: Great characters, Icy! I particularly like the obnoxious (dead) Alan, even though I'm not too sorry for his fate. heh; 3 July 2011 at 01:53
nerinedorman said...: Not related to Triffids, are they?; 3 July 2011 at 11:02
AidanF said...: Ever since LOTR, I've had a fondness for living trees. A post-apocalyptic story seems like a natural environment for them to discover us. I like the tendrils twitching for Alan that foreshadows the bigger brethren to come.; 3 July 2011 at 17:02
Anonymous said...: Fantastic characters Icy and I like the total 'thinking out of the box' idea for this story - plants getting water from elsewhere...now there's a conundrum.; 3 July 2011 at 21:25
Jen said...: Ohhh, gross and wonderful Icy! I felt so sad for the plant he just about knocked over. Glad they got theirs back.

...Kind of. It also makes me nervous. ;); 4 July 2011 at 08:32
Icy Sedgwick said...: Chuck - This story seems to have really impelled people to water their plants. Perhaps they should use it as a public service announcement.

Stacey - Thanks!

Mari - Yeah, he was really fun to write!

Nerine - Maaaaaybe!

Aidan - It's a bit like that Mickey Mouse cartoon where he tries to catch the baby tornado, only to get pursued himself by its big brother!

Brainhaze - I have weird brainwaves every now and then!

Jen - Remember to water your plants and you'll be fine!; 4 July 2011 at 09:27
Anonymous said...: In an alternate when, the plants were much more greedy and sought out their own human spigots...

This one sparks the imagination and thank yuh.; 4 July 2011 at 23:18
Anonymous said...: A bit late in catching up on stories.
This is a cracker! Cool sci fi with a winning pay off. Love how you progress the action; something I need to learn to do more of.
Adam B @revhappiness; 8 July 2011 at 07:31