Vince reached the familiar streets of the old industrial area. The factories lay silent and rusting.
Sitting on the same bench he had used for forty years, he sat and had his lunch, looking at the workplace he had devoted the best years of his life to in the distance.
A siren sounded, followed by a countdown. The power of the detonation made the ground shake. The dust settled to reveal rubble where the factory once stood.
He wrapped up his litter, placed it in the bin and smiled as he walked away. The robots were welcome to his job.
Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
Iain Kelly 
83 responses to “RELEASED”
We had similar thoughts, Iain
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A very good story. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Henrietta
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You are welcome!
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They’d certainly have been welcome to mine, but even robots have their standards. Good one, and topical today. 😉
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Thanks Sandra – I personally can’t wait until a robot can take my job from me – although unfortunately I picked a career that they won’t be taking over any time soon 😦
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Reblogged this on All About Writing and more.
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I wish robots can take over my business (with the profits coming back to me, of course) so that I could spend more time dreaming. A very good story, Iain. With the concepts like Industry 4.0 around the corner, such a day is not too far ahead.
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Certainly a lot of jobs are heading that way, and then what will we all do with our days?
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WRITE!
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Dear Iain,
I would gladly have turned my job over to robots since management expected us to be just that. 😉 A social statement this one. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle – me too, I’ll take the early retirement thanks very much!
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Two years ago I chucked my job and happily settled down to writing and blogging but then as they say ‘there’s no rest for the wicked’. I got re-enlisted. I am still on the lookout for the escape button 😀 This one really resonated with me – nicely crafted Iain
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I’m glad he had the satisfaction of watching his factory implode 🙂
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He doesn’t seem to be too sentimental about it.
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Ned Ludd’s old argument! Good one.
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Thanks Josh, nice prompt too.
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I’d like a robot to do my jobs for me. I’ll look on Amazon.
Click to read my FriFic!
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If only I could invent one to do my job, then I could keep the money too.
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A clever one. congrats
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Thank you
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Oooo. that was gooood! Love the ending! Poof!
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Thanks Jelli. Glad you liked it 🙂
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Good story.
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Thanks Shehanne 🙂
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This is hardly fiction since robots do many of the jobs people used to do decades and generations ago. On the other hand, watching the demolition of an old building can be an awesome experience.
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It’s certainly going to happen more and more, and not just to factory jobs. And, it certainly is, a lot of high-rise apartments around my city have gone in recent years, always a spectacular watch.
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Best guess is that humans will take jobs that don’t exist yet or that are in the process of being created, jobs that AI isn’t good at.
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The Iron law of wages now includes robots as well… actually the word sabotage can be traced back to weavers in France who protested against the machines by throwing their clogs (sabo) into the machines. For exactly the same reason.
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Thanks Bjorn, great little piece of knowledge.
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Well done! The only thing missing is that he’s taken up writing and is now a bestselling author. But what will we do when there’s a glut of them?
🤔
At least in your tale they’re blowing up the old factory and not all the excess workers who’ve been replaced by robots.
I don’t want to be selfish but people so in favor of immigration should have to find jobs for the newcomers.
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Ha, this is fiction, but not that unbelievable that he gets to be a successful author too!
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Our titles are polar opposites! Yep… robot, take over my job so I can write, and photograph and cook….
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So they are – my original title was ‘Freedom’, even more at odds with yours, but I changed it to released to tie in with him being ‘released’ from his job.
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Loved it
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Well, there were certainly a lot of jobs that were too risky to people and much safer in the hands of a robot. Nicely told, Iain
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Thanks Lynn.
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My pleasure 🙂
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I’m happy to say that retirement IS all it’s cracked up to be. If they blew up my old workplace I’d want to push the plunger, never mind watch. Good luck to Vince.
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I quite agree. Retirement is great!
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Haha, glad that you’re enjoying life 🙂
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I love the way Vince can watch the destruction of the place to which he has devoted the best years of his life and walk away with a smile on his face. I’m guessing he has a good plan for the next phase of his life now he has been ‘released’.
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Absolutely – spending his time doing what he wants to do, when he wants to do it 🙂
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A delightfully happy ending. I love how Vince puts his garbage in the trash after seeing the building implode.
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Thanks Alicia 🙂
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I’m sitting here with a smug smile thinking, the robots can’t have my job 🙂
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Lucky you! They are welcome to mine 🙂
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Nice on many levels – I can see how this could happen (as it did during the Industrial Revolution), I like his calmness after the fact as he tidies up after himself, and presumably very few if any humans died in the explosion.
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A controlled demolition rather than an act of terrorism, although you can interpret it either way.
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Nice story. I doubt it was Vince who set the explosives, but it must have been most satisfying to see the dilapidated building crash down.
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I didn’t have it in mind that it was Vince who blow up the factory – although a few have interpreted it that way. It works either way.
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Revenge is sweet! 🙂
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A futuristic , yet not so much in the future…. Wonder what’s in store. This is a refreshing spin on the prompt. Good one!
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Thank you so much
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Yes, Iain, we had similar ideas with really different endings! Loved it!
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Thanks Rosemary 🙂
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If this goes on it will be robots blasting robots.
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Robots taking each others jobs, then destroying each other!
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That was some revenge!
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Revenge or just karma, depends on how guilty you feel Vince is for the explosion. Thanks Liz.
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it seems like history repeating itself. it reminds of the dawning of the industrial revolution in the 18th century.
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We are certainly going through a similar revolution and will be over the coming years.
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I’ve worked in manufacturing most of my life. I can imagine feeling this way.
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Thanks Dawn, I certainly wouldn’t mind if my work disappeared 🙂
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Watching the world change or at least a little part if it. Sounds like he’s happy in a bittersweet way
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Exactly that – can’t change the past, but the future to look forward to.
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The old order changeth giving way to the new. The horrors of the pink slip and being made redundant are well expressed. Good story writing on display, Kelly.
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Thanks Neel
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love the duality of the rubble and the wrapped litter – sounds of the words and trash aspect – also fun twist with robotics
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Thank you
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Good one.
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Thanks Vivian, much appreciated.
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Automated thank you reply.
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Most of our day jobs make us feel like robots anyway. Good characterisation.
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Ha, very true. Thanks Fatima.
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A tale soon to turn to reality. Nicely written Iain. 🙂
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Thank you Norma.
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I guess it’s an optimistic future for him?
Nicely done!
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Hi Iain, really liked this, especially the ritual aspect – he sits at the same bench, packs up his litter neatly, it suggests both his earlier life and also how important this moment is to him.
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Thanks Rachel, glad you liked it 🙂
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The only way I see this could improved is if Vince had been pushing the button. I hope his optimism continues into his new role.
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Thanks Sarah Ann – he’s not the destructive type, just happy that things have worked out in his favour for once.
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