Seven

THE CHALLENGE: Write a short story of 650 words or fewer based on the photo below.

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We had escaped the dying city and set out into the dust, hoping to find refuge. But the drought spared no one, and we lost many of our caravan to the wasteland. After walking without end, on our last night, we collapsed without tent or blanket, wasted the last of our tears, and prayed for death to take us all together. The moon spared us her light so we did not see ourselves perish.

“That is how our story started,” the guide said solemnly. The more dramatic, the more they tipped. People loved a miracle.

“Some say they fell from the sky, others think they emerged from the ground, but these are the original pods of Seven. All we know is that one day they simply arrived to save our ancestors. Shiny, smooth, metallic, and mysterious.”

The small crowd nodded along and whispered to each other.