After a l-o-n-g hiatus, I thought it might be time to return to the fray and submit a 100 word story to Friday Fictioneers again. I hope I haven’t become too rusty. I can feel my flash fiction joints creaking and groaning as I write, but nevertheless, here goes.
Many thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting Friday Fictioneers.
No return
“It was here. I’m sure.”
“But where are the shelters, the food tents? We can’t land here, in this bleak, soulless place. It’s worse than home.”
“Remember, friend — at home we were persecuted, starved out or hunted down. And home is a lifetime away. There’s no returning.”
“So now what?”
“We decide. Drift through space until the ship dies, or stay. We’re strong now. We have knowledge — to share or use against this planet. After all, they once welcomed us.”
“Look. There’s a sign. It says: New border security policies are now in force. Aliens attempting entry will be destroyed.“
Onto the page 
A story for our times
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Sadly, yes it is.
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Happening all around us. Not sure if it’s good or bad. People running to safer places or some people deliberately trying to create mischief in the places that welcomed them with open arms.
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I suppose we have to find a way to deal with the mischief-makers without ignoring the plight of those who just need sanctuary and could contribute much to the ‘planet’ which welcomed them.
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Absolutely Margaret. I am with you!
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A very current feel to this story, but sadly, people have always been persecuted. Humans are so afraid of the ‘other’, I doubt this will ever change. Well captured Margaret
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I do agree. We value and feel comfortable among people and traditions that we are familiar with and we don’t like to risk losing that by letting ‘the other’ in. I just wish we, as a species, could also value compassion, even if it costs us something.
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It would be nice, wouldn’t it. I guess we can keep on hoping
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An endless circle, I feel. Welcome back, Margaret. It seems like a long time.
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Thanks for your comment and your welcome, Sandra. It has been ages since I contributed. I’m happy to be back.
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So much for being welcomed!
Good one. I enjoyed it.
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Thanks, Dale. No welcome for these aliens – perhaps they can try again in a generation or two. Maybe there’ll have been another policy change by then.
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Dear Margaret,
Take it from me, you haven’t lost it. So much said in this piece. Could be sci fi…could be today’s Headline. Well done. I’m doing a happy dance to see you back in the queue.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Many thanks, Rochelle. Let’s say it’s sci-fi. Set on an unknown planet somewhere in the universe. Thank you for your kind words. I don’t feel at all inspired right now, but I figure I just have to start grinding things out and maybe I’ll rediscover my mojo. Friday Fictioneers has always been a great source of inspiration.
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Welcome back, Margaret, it’s great to see you here again. 🙂
I love the story, it puts our sins of past and present into the future–learning from the past seems a very, very slow process.
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Thanks for the welcome back. It’s nice to be among writerly friends again. And yes, as a species we’re not very good at learning how to treat one another, it seems to me.
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sadly, it’s becoming the sign of the times.
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It is. We live in sad times.
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