story Goodbye: a short speculative fiction story

[BurblingBarbacoa]

Hey guys  

i wrote a short spec fiction story and was hoping i could have some feedback. If you just want to read then do that. I really want to share this asi am pretty proud of it  

*i know the paragraphs and whatnot were lost in the copy-paste from google docs... Sorry  

 

 

Goodbye 
By Jack Vann-Lammonby 

Rosalie lay there, staring up at the ceiling.  Lights danced across the smooth white surface, telling tales from long ago. Lions ran through savannahs and white horses galloped through fields of green and yellow. She could hear her parents rushing around, picking up her things and putting them into white, plastic boxes, occasionally pausing to argue about something, then hurrying to to pack again, as if to make up for the time they just lost. 

Then the lights turned off.  Rosalie was picked up and carried through the house, towards the door and out into the vast expanse of what once was New York.  Buildings, mere skeletons of what they had once been, casting shadows over the endless rubble and destruction, as if glaring down at what once was a happy place, sadly reminiscing. 

A car pulled up. It's immaculate white finish a stark contrast to it’s surroundings. Rosalie felt herself slide into the cool black leather. Her mother and father slipped in beside her, the doors shut themselves and the car began to move. 

The long, thin Windows allowed the family a cinematic view of the streets of the once-New York City. The road utterly useless, bar a small strip of fresh tarmac, on which they drove. The side window displayed walls of corruption; political propaganda and extremist posters. Graffiti lined the sidewalk and defaced the governmental figures adorning the walls. The car slowed as it maneuvered through the tight streets. 

Not a thing moved around them. There was a breeze, but no trees to slowly sway in it. Though it was a warm summer morning, no people peered out of windows to catch the sun’s rays. The streets were littered, yet no dog strayed to find a meal. 

Slowly the broken cityscape faded and and they approached a vast emptiness in amongst the chaos and destruction.  In the centre of this concrete field sat a building composed of a bright white alloy and reflective, black glass. It sat there, a single daisy in a meadow of grass; alone. The building was round and, in the centre, stood a white pinnacle, it's tall frame casting a shadow over them. 

Rosalie was taken from the cool grasp of the leather and into her mother's arms. The two of them moved down the walkway that led to the building, her father beside them. As they approached the building, glass doors hissed open. They stepped in. Rosalie thought it smelled like a hospital, the reek of disinfectant stinging her throat and making her gag. The only thing in the room was an elevator. It's glass doors parted, inviting the new arrivals in. The doors shut and the elevator began to move. When they stopped and the elevator opened it's doors, it became apparent that they were on a roof, with the pinnacle of white towering over them. 

A voice from an unknown source spoke to them, “Walk towards the entrance and await further instruction”. Two panels slid aside from the seemingly solid white surface and they stepped in. The authoritarian female voice addressed the family once more, “Please proceed down the hallway then turn left into room ten”. They walked slowly down the hall, carefully putting one foot after the other, not wanting to disturb the absolute perfection and silence. They turned left into room ten. There were doors to other numbers going down the hallway, slowly trailing out of sight around the curve of the structure. Once they would have been filled with people, now they were empty. 

The room was simple. It was a stark contrast to everything else. It had a brighter, more colourful theme, with three small beds: one blue, one red and one orange. The walls and floor remained crystal clean white. On the far wall was a solitary window, looking out. Three seats faced the window. 

“Your belongings have been placed in your room. Please be seated”. They sat and did as they were told. A low rumble could be heard. The rumble became an ear-piercing scream and the ship pushed itself from the grasps of Earth’s gravity. Rosalie shut her eyes tight and plugged her ears with her fingers, wanting to shut out the assault on her senses. Rosalie felt the ship shudder as a they pushed through the atmosphere. 

Then all was quiet. Rosalie felt weightless and free. She opened her eyes. She felt her mother's hand grasp her’s. Rosalie unbuckled herself and floated to the window. Peering out at Earth, a blue and green globe, now nothing but a memory. 

“Goodbye”, said Rosalie.