Welcome to episode 39 of Flash Fiction Friday with AB Frank.
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The writing prompt for this week:
Object: Manual
Action: Specify
Genre: SciFi
Object Word Association: Instructions, booklet, leaflet, bullet points, step-by-step, labour.
Action Word Association: Vague, specific, broad, detailed.
Enjoy!
The Pale Limbs
The foreman’s voice echoed between the cranes and off the factory wall where I was about to repair the ship. It was the call-on and the shouts of men suggested he’d tossed the tokens on the floor for the dockers to fight over. That is the nature of working on the docks.
The scent of spices and alcohol wafted into the factory, reminding me I was hungry but would spend most of my wages in the alehouse after my shift.
I strolled through the corridors of the faulty ship, toolbox in hand, wishing I didn’t have to put my aching body through such manual work. Some cargo had been left behind. The rules were clear in this situation - take what you could carry for yourself and don’t get caught. Clear, but not specifically written anywhere. I wasn’t about to break those rules.
I put my hand on the pallet of forgotten goods and was transported to the open ocean during a storm. It was like I was reliving the harrowing memory of the ship's last voyage in which it was damaged. The crew were hauling the cargo from the water while rain peppered their faces. But, long slimy limbs reached from the water onto the deck and wrestled the men for the cargo. The captain discharged his revolver into the pale limbs and they withdrew to whence they came.
The crew members that had been in direct contact with the limbs screamed and bled. They took no notice of the help offered by the medic. One by one, they ran across the deck, hauling themselves overboard.
I left the factory immediately, never to return.
The End
The Pale Limbs