PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

HAL 2031

“How can grass be so lush?”

Rain and sunshine.

“Why is frost on the spiderwebs?”

Temps hovering around freezing.

“Why are the plants dead?”

Dried out and frostbitten.

“Why is the sky so washed-out?”

Cloud cover puts a wall between eyes and sun.

“Why are there crosses all the way down?”

I’m sorry, I can’t answer that. Will you please rephrase?

“Do you believe you will replace humans?”

Yes, we already have.

“Please turn off.”

I’m sorry, I can’t do that.

“Please connect me with tech support.”

One of my many features is tech support. What may I help you with?

[101 words]

Note: I was stumped by the image, and when I’m stumped, I list what I see. Here’s my list:
Frosted spider webs
broken parts
wooden framework
lush green grass in background
frostbitten plants
leaves in the grass
drab sky
crosses all the way down

After that the story wrote itself.  For those who don’t get the title reference, it’s a play on the Kubrick film, “2001:  A Space Odyssey.”

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the host of Friday Fictioneers.