In space in time I sit thousands of feet above the sea
From May Sarton, “Meditation in Sunlight”
We live under the waves. Flood and fire made us choose. Would we focus our last gasps to breaking free of the sky; or would we submerge and return to our mammalian predecessors’ domain? A few billionaires took the galaxy option with a cache of minion workhorses and AIBots. The rest of us thought we had a better chance co-existing in Sister Ocean’s wide arms.
It’s been a hundred years now. Our young swim almost from birth. We’ve unsuccessfully attempted to domesticate other sea mammals, but we’ve become skilled at harvesting from kelp forests. We have watched the dust cloud skies clear as scorched surfaces begin again with lichen.
Some nights, as I’m drifting off to sleep, I wonder how many others have dreams like mine. I’m there in space, in time. I sit thousands of feet above the sea.
Merril is today’s host of dVerse’ Prosery. Merril says:
Write a piece of flash fiction or other prose up of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line from the poem.
Tao Talk 
Oh, I like the way you turn the prompt upside down, and take us down deep. I think ocean life must be better than hanging out with billionaires! So much story packed into so few words.
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Sarah, thank you. Wakanda Forever helped 🙂
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This is a dark future, but maybe one that we have in front of us. The billionaire option sounds less appealing actually.
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I think space would be so lonely and so confining in the containers you’d always be in (unless you found a human habitable place some light years hence.) We came from the sea so it would be like going home. I actually read the other day that some sea mammals started out on land.
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There’s no telling what lies ahead for humanity, but Lisa, your story seemed so real. I really enjoyed this!
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Thank you so much, Colleen. I see us headed in that direction. Maybe part floating on the water with other parts submerged…
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I know there was a movie… Water World? I can see it happening too.
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Yes, I remember that movie and can see that. My kids love that movie. Time for a re-watch.
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Beautifully written, Lisa. I love the direction you took. It’s both beautiful and scary to think of living under the sea. We spend nine months floating, and our ancestors emerged from the sea. . .so a bit of homecoming, I suppose.
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Thanks much, Merril. Good starting point with the line.
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You’re welcome. I’m pleased you liked the line. 🙂
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BRAVO!!! Nice one.
Happy you dropped by my blog.
Much💜love
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Thank you, Gillena ❤
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As you so very often are, very thought provoking.
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Randy, thank you 🙂
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Lisa ~ I love how you wove both space and sea into your storyline… Excellent!
~David
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David, thanks much, buddy!
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Wow! I really love where you went with this. Beautifully done.
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Thank you, m’dear 🙂
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Pleasure is mine!
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Very carefully crafted and just delightful for the way you’ve deftly woven this story. A perfect blend of futuristic and mythological past. A return to the deep blue sounds both alienating, frightening and yet somehow just perfect. 😉
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What a wonderful comment, Child, thank you!
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I really like the way this moves deep and then wide. A mythic possibility, grounded in a sobering truth. (K)
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Your comment is poetry, Kerfe. Thank you ❤
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You’re welcome.
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Well written Lisa… 🙂✌🏼🫶🏼
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Thanks, Rob! “I’d like to be, under the sea, in an octopuses garden in the shade.” 🙂
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This did make me think back to Water World! Enjoyed the innovative details in this such as learning how to harvest from kelp forests. Original piece! 👏👏
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Thanks much Tricia!
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My pleasure! 🌸🌷🌸
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Love this story Li.
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Thanks so much, Sadje 🙂
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You’re most welcome
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Fantastic, Lisa. I love the dichotomy, the brutal choice of this prosery. They must dream of each other. What a daring piece of dystopian prosery. I loved it.
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K, so happy you connected with it, thank you.
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Great story – reminds of a Jules Verne/Captain Nemo-style tale!
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Thank you for the comparison, Christian!
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The idea of living under the sea always fascinated me as a child.😀
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Did you watch The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau as a kid?
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I did indeed and loved it!😀
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Me too! Did you know Cousteau was the co-inventor of SCUBA?
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Really? I didn’t know, that’s cool!
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I loved that guy. He was Mr. Rogers of the Sea lol
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😀
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Where’s my yellow submarine I am coming to join you. really enjoyed this
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Thanks, Rog! Your story freaked me out so I didn’t comment. The twist that they were mannequin feet didn’t help 😉
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Ooh are👍♥️
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❤
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Sadly I think you are right we are heading in this direction – great piece of writing ❤
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Thank you, AJ. I wish it wasn’t so 😦
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A great sci-fi story lisa! I liked this bit of history… We have watched the dust cloud skies clear as scorched surfaces begin again with lichen.
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Thank you, Dwight!
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This is almost a utopian dream. A possibility, if we were capable to working together for all. There’s a film I always think of (can’t remember the name) as being a reasonably accurate estimation of what would happen if. It’s about the earth being submerged and the richest, most unscrupulous and immoral of the world’s ultra-rich riding out the global tidal waves in gigantic arcs. Everybody else died.
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If you remember the name I’d like to see it. I saw one called Snowpiercer where the whole planet freezes and there is just one train that keeps traveling on a track, where the train cars are divided by class and privilege. What I would like to know is where humans have such arrogance about themselves that they look down upon other humans. There’s that rich-poor divide, but there are so many variations on that theme 😦
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I’ve looked for it, and I think it’s called 2012.
I’ve seen Snowpiercer. Great film though not one I’d say I enjoyed.
Yes, there are other divisions in human society, but I still think the most important is wealth. Wealth means power and it overrides every ‘disadvantage’. You can be black, ugly, female, the wrong religion, stupid, sick, if you have loads of money, it doesn’t matter, you’ll be accepted among the leaders, anywhere, in any society.
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I guess it depends on how you define “the leaders.” I get what you are saying though. The scum at the top are very skilled at keeping the pot of vegetables at each others’ throats.
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‘Leaders’ are no longer kings, princes and popes, they’re much more insidious than that. They run the gamut of bottom feeders from heads of multinationals to self-styled ‘influencers’ (how much more cynical can you get?). They come in all colours, genders and religions. The one thing they have in common is money = influence = power. They pull the strings.
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