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NaNoWriMo.org has been putting out challenges for keeping yourself busy, I’ve been watching the writing prompts mostly and decided that the prompt that came on 3 April 2020 is what I would like to write:

Message from NaNoWriMo HQ

This was done by me on 4/4/2020, this is Copyright © edg3.co.za, all rights reserved. Everything in the story is fictional, and unrelated to anyone in the real world.

I went through the 3 steps depicted here to make the novel within a day, instead of waiting for the edit.

Please, enjoy!

I used NaNoE v1 to write and first-draft edit it.


Ch. 1

A woeful sigh escapes my throat as I turn the page, this would be the last page in Accidental Distances, I continue to read as slow as I can.

                In a moment to try show off his glory, Jidza didn’t pay any attention where he wanted to go, he tripped like I did as we started our porocktal use, he fell right into the portal. He disappeared in an instant.

                I finish my sentence, “…ch lni grpfip qcpqgi.”

                As I finished sharing the translation I’d tried to get out, everyone, even me, burst out in laughter. We all fell to the floor. Jidza had copied my accident, he’d accidentally stepped forward into an accidental distance.

                “So… What will happen now…?”  As we started to get our back Andrew brought the situation back into control.

                “Well…” I scratch my beard. I get my fingers tangled in again, it isn’t anywhere near as impressive as the humorous moment. “We have shared they shouldn’t come through without a suit. We can’t be certain with whatever will happen…”

                The grim moment came from the last few lines in the novel, I snap the book shut in an instant. Why did I do this to myself? I’ll have to read the second book now.

                “Siri,” I share as I stood from my chair in the cockpit, “Please, remind me tomorrow to look if we have the second book.”

                “Okay, at what time?”

                I scan the walls around me, this small space craft doesn’t have a clock on the walls. I have no concept for the time it could be. My eyes glue themselves onto the mirror on the wall. I should shave again soon I suppose, my beard looks longer than my dark brown hair which I cut as short as I could the other day. The blue light from my pupils looks less bland than the walls all around me.

                “In the morning,” I let out a light sigh, my curiosity peaks for what a morning will be compared to out here.

                “Alright, I’ll…” In an instant I turn my phone over on the table to keep it quiet. I wish I could have more interesting conversations with it, I’m stuck on the trip through space for months now.

                “S27 show me the outside view,” I slump back in the chair at the dashboard. In less than a moment the walls all light with a view as if they were see through glass windows. We’re still in the Rosette Nebula, it’s fantastic how we’re close to 5000 light years away from Earth, it looks stranger. Now we’re inside it, the colors have changed from reds to the full rainbow spectrum.

                The eery way the colors swap with speed to different colors in the spectrum are too fast, they bring my nausea.

                “S27 turn off the outside view,” I stand and stretch my arms out as I yawn, if feels like I spend hours.

                I shuffle over to the bed and flop onto it. I take a moment to search for my blanket. My answer to myself, an immediate slap on the forehead. These ships use internal thermostats to keep a constant perfect temperature for my human body. I close my eyes, for a change my mind isn’t glued to thoughts which confuse me as I try to sleep, I’m out like a light.

Ch. 2

                It wasn’t a restless sleep, for a change, my eyes still glued closed at least. For me it’s slow to wake. I take in a deep breath through my nose, ah, it smells like the flowers…

                I snap awake in an instant. It’s shocking, I shouldn’t smell flowers in this ship…

                My eyes as wide as I can hold them my gaze drifts around, this looks like… Earth… I must be lucid in a dream right now, so I might as well enjoy it, I suppose.

                I stand as slow as I can, might as well shout a little, “HELLO!” I listen as the echo resounds off the buildings along the road,  a small grin lights face.

                The streets appear dead here, as if the plants are taking the world over. There’s even some grass broke its way through the tar, it’s easy to describe this tar as a road which hasn’t been used for hundreds of years. Old, dilapidated, it would seem it hasn’t been driven on for years.

                With a slow pace I walk along the road, I decide to take in the shops around me. They seem as if they were ransacked years before, not much in them at all, I can tell in a few the plant life has started to take over the inner sections within the buildings.

                ‘Jean’s Salon,’ ‘Joe’s Grocery’, ‘Sh…’ The other characters for the name strewn around on the ground, they must have broken off ages ago. It would seem as if it’s a petrol station with pumps.

                As I move along I realise the buildings were filled more, and more, overgrown with plants. It’s an interesting idea, to say the least. As I left Earth it was globally in trouble and turmoil. I choose to hum my favourite song again in an instant, I learned it was helpful to distract myself if I dislike some items my thoughts could bring. I don’t need any reminders for the dangerous diseases again, not until I ever go back I suppose.

                I eventually get around a small bend in the road, they seem like animals close to deer in their appearance. My pace slows  to a crawl. I don’t want to spook them, I would like to inspect them more. You can’t control whatever might happen in a dream. As I get near enough to pay more attention to them the one picks its head up, alerted by my presence.

                I don’t see eyes on the head, and it would seem these animals have four ears on their head. I watch as the ears swivel around, they must have heard me. I stay as still as I can and watch them, they just continue listening.

                I’m curios for whatever might be keeping them alert?

                SNAP!

                I swivel around and the animals run away in an instant, I have no idea of whatever it could be which I’m looking at, right in front of me. An animal with black fur drooped all the way to the ground covers its body. It lets out a snarl and it dashes over towards me.

                I left out a shriek and bolt, I have no idea where I’m headed, I want to get away from whatever this might be. The plants and buildings flash past me, it’s as if I can run as fast as I could back home. At least my exercise schedule has been sufficient for my body to stay fit.

                It might have been a few minutes, it might have been longer, eventually I gather the courage to stop. I have pain in my legs from the fast pace. At a glance behind me I can’t see the animal anymore, perfect, I wont wake from this nightmare yet. Lets try learn where this lucid dream goes. I sit on the ground, take a few deep breaths, my stomach growls.

Ch. 3

                Well, sure, I have lucid dreams more frequent compared to others, I suppose. I try to stay asleep longer and watch even more in my dreams. This, however, is a thought I’ve never experienced before. It’s confusing, I never have my body feel in the past. Could this be a new way I can feel inside dreams, perhaps?

                I stare around the new area in the city I’m in. I would guess this should be the area which was more business oriented in its past, it would seem like office buildings at the middle in a city. Where in the world did I run?

                The tall skyscrapers around me have a lot of plants in and around them, I hope their structure keeps them from any tumble over to create a catastrophe right now. Consider my thoughts while in this dream, a building can topple over to become a catastrophe. As I consider if I should try finish the dream and wake myself up my stomach growls again. Perhaps I can eat in this dream to stop the stomach troubles.

                I go around to several plants and inspect them. After a while I see on which looks close to mint, I smell it, it’s mint. I pick a leaf and smell it, I have a habit in real life, this shocks me, I can smell it. It should be mint. I inch it towards my mouth, I guess I need to suck it in, got for it. I get it in my mouth as fast as I can and chew. It’s mint, I have the flavour hit me hard.

                I chew it as much as I can, to swallow easier. As it hits my stomach I listen to it rumble, I’m so hungry. On the ship I’d last eaten around 3 hours before I chose to sleep. If I was still asleep I wouldn’t have any of this, never mind taste it. I inspect whatever is all around me at a slow pace.

                I would have to assume this could be a city back on Earth, but where are all the people? I have no idea how I could have even gotten here from so far away. Was I perhaps in a comma and the ship brought me back to Earth…

                I go to the closest window to inspect myself in the reflection. My beard looks the same as it did before I went to bed. My hair’s still the exact length it as well.

                My heart beings to shudder. It’s almost a guarantee, this must be Earth, however, how did this all happen? Sure, I’ve been in outer space for months, this degradation wouldn’t go this fast. Though, thinking it through, perhaps I went through the strange idea for a wormhole through space and time.

                I rub my hand over my stomach a little, it aches a lot from hunger right now.

                “HELLO? Is anybody out here?” I screech too loud, I listen to myself echo back over, and over, it’s slow to get softer.

                I should wait, perhaps someone else is here. Though, I was on the ship alone. Oh, I could use my phone here perhaps, I check in my pockets in an instant, oh dear. I’d placed it on the table next to my bed. It might have come through with me, I don’t even have any idea where I woke up. I suppose if you believe thoughts are a dream you never pay attention to them, I’m not sure this could be a dream at all right now.

                I start my walk along the road, I just continue in the direction I ran through it. My mind goes quite blank, all I notice are houses half destroyed with a lot of plant growing in and around it.

Ch. 4

                Not that I payed attention to where I was going, at all, but the sun starts to go down. When I woke up it had seemed like mid afternoon. The only reason I began to think more is I was out the main city and the housed area all around it. This seemed to still be a housing area, just that the houses seemed way older and spaced away from one another more.

                What sparked my joy is that I can see what seems to be a mansion light up at the end of the road I’m on. It was already too dark, and should be someone there since they turned the lights on.

                I try to jog a little, stumble, almost fall flat, I stop to take a breath. I haven’t eaten for so long I can feel if I try again there will be more pain from the hunger. After short while the pain subsides and I start my walk again.

                Since it’s almost complete night time I glance up, I wonder what the weather is like. My jaw drops, my eyes widen, I can see everywhere in space. All the constellations my dad taught me as a child are here, I know where I am. Back on Earth, how did this happen though…

                It is awesome to consider the fact that I might be in a large city, and yet I can see the stars perfect since there isn’t any new pollution. Well, the streetlights and other lights are all off, except for the house at the end of this block.

                I get back into the arduous journey to get there again, perhaps whoever is there can help me out. This isn’t much I would have ever expected.

                As I get closer I notice the gate’s off its hinges. So someone must have robbed the place. I struggle through the yard to the front door, it stands ajar.

                “Hello?” I ask quite loud as I knock on the door. It creaks wider, I see it’s empty inside. The lights seem to be on. As slow as I can I inch through the door and start to go through the house, it would seem there isn’t any household item, or anyone, in here.

                A high gust of wind tears through the house a little, it makes the front door slam against the wall. I just cover my eyes as I hold my breath until it subsides. When it dies down I slowly open my eyes.

                I let out the air I was holding in a slow motion, my eyes slop onto the dusty ground. I can only see my footprints coming from the door. I might be the only person anywhere near here. So, how did the lights turn on then…

                I see a small electric cable makes its way out the light, so I follow it to the wall. It comes down near the floor then goes along the wall. I follow it though the house, more and more cables join up with it and go along the same line from the lights in each room. After what feels like a lifetime I get to a door which they all go under, so this should be it. I’m careful, and slow, to open the door as much I can.

                This is a small cupboard with six 12 volt batteries together, there seems to be an inverter with a label on a cable going through a hole into the roof. The lights are all connected through the inverter to the batteries.  So the power here seems to be based on batteries, so then I wonder what the cable with the label is for. I’m slow, I wipe the dust off so I can read it. “solar / sensor”.

                I slump to the floor, so these lights must be battery powered, by batteries which get charged in sunlight. They use a daylight sensor to turn them on. So I’m here all alone.

                The lights flicker for a moment, they all turn off. This would mean the batteries are old and don’t hold as much charge. I have little idea as to whatever happened here, at all, it would seem like it changed here, for better, or for worse. Where’s everyone and everything?