Picture courtesy of Marie Gail Stratford
I’m not even sure what I’m seeing in this photo. My first impression was that it looked remarkably like the Iron Throne (for the uninitiated, that would be from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, and yes, I’ve read them all). But on closer inspection, the photo seems to be of a window that is either broken or covered in ice crystals. In the end, I had to go with what it made me feel – that something bad has happened.
Word count: 102
Barbarians at the Gate
The old guard retreated to their plush panic rooms, secure in the knowledge they would prevail. The rabble outside the gates could rail and rant and rattle, but the One Percenters held their power as birthright.
Only the number crunchers saw it coming. A shift in the tide, the turn of the tables. The meltdown was in full freefall before the first window was smashed.
Ash settled across the city, anointing the new order with smudges reminding them they came from dust and to dust they would return. But until then, there was rebuilding to do. A rebirth of sorts. A resurrection.
© Erin Leary
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Nice poetry to this piece.
Thank you – it had that feel to it.
Smudges, Dust to dust – appropriate for the day.
Yes, since I wrote in on Ash Wednesday, it seemed right.
Dear Erin, Excellent story for a rebirth of a society. Smudges, Dust to dust – and Ash Wednesday today. Good job! Nan 🙂
Thanks, Nan. Sometimes things work out! 😀
I loved the language in this. Nicely done.
Thanks, Sandra! Hope all is well with you.
Good job, Erin. Lovely telling of an unlovely story, but at least you ended with hope.
janet
Thanks! I still need to go to MG’s page to see what the photo is about!
Thank you, Janet!
Dear Erin,
I agree with the other comments. Beautiful language. I like that you ended on a note of hope.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you. I wrote it without thinking about the all iterations, but they were there when I was done and I liked it.
I like where this is going (and how it is told)–and wonder, will it go the way of most revolutions where fanaticists take over and crush the hope, or will it be a real rebuilding? (I should stop reading the news…)
Thank you – yes, this felt fairly topical.
Hurrah! An Iron Throne reference, which is the reason I snapped this photo in the first place.
Good story this week, Erin. I like the way you took the age-old tale of an uprising and told it in a fresh way as a sort of cautionary tale to the powers of today. Nice work.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Erin, I had the same first impression of the picture! I won’t rant about GRRM because I’m mad that he’s never going to finish the books but I just started watching the HBO series and I love it! Your story had that hint of medieval fantasy to it but rather than remind me of GoT, it reminded me of the Russian Revolution.
I like this Erin. Your beautiful use of language wove an almost mystical story, very enjoyable.
Lovely. Bring on the Barbarians. And about time too.
Nicely done.
“reminding them they came from dust and to dust they would return.” Love this line!
“Out with the old and in with the new,” as the saying goes. Good description and well done. 🙂 — Suzanne
Love the ideas here, and the descriptions of the two opposing groups. Great writing.