RESET

The drought lasted through the summer. Trees and plants shriveled and died, so did a few thousand vulnerable people and animals.

Everyone waited for The Rains to end the suffering. Anything that could collect water was set out in readiness. Watering cans hung from tree branches, buckets lined pavements, plastic bottles sat on window sills.

The Rains came with Mother Nature’s vengeance, swamping the arid ground, turning streets into raging torrents. Trees and plants were washed away, animals and people drowned.

When the skies had emptied, the sun came out. The air clear and crisp. The first part of nature’s reset was complete.

Copyright Roger Bultot

Written for Friday Fictioneers 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 more stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

Glad to be back on FF after a couple of busy months preparing my next novel for publication (due next February) and completing a first draft of the next one after that. I hope everyone has been well!

The State Trilogy and The Barra Boy available now.
All We Cannot Leave Behind coming February 2024.

43 responses to “RESET”

  1. Wonderfully explained- the reason why the watering can & several others like it were left hanging out.
    All prayers and hopes worked; only that there was excessive rain.
    Agree that nature has its coping mechanism- “Reset”.

    I do try to collect rain-water by keeping buckets outside 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Rain after a draught is time to dance. I wouldn’t mind a down pour.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. A moderate amount of rain is needed, always seems to be all or nothing!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Maybe a few more spin and rinse cycles will be needed to really get that reset going…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Amazing how we seem to be able to move on from natural disasters and go back to treating the planet as we did before, until the next one – but never seem to be able to fully commit to doing anything meaningful.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Mother Nature always has a plan, but sometimes it seems a very cruel plan.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Nice to see you again, Iain 🙂 Congrats on your growing list of published books. I’ve read all but “Collected Sketches.”

    Nature’s reset, indeed. If only Nature could do something about the collective mind of humanity!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Collected Sketches is based on a few my early FF ideas and other stories on my blog, so you probably have read them here! Thanks for your continued interest and support, Linda 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Dear Iain,

    Imaginative use of the prompt. Well done and welcome back.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Rochelle, good to be back 🙂

      Like

  7. Well done. I hope the reset goes better in the future.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It may well do for nature, but maybe not so much for humanity! Thank you.

      Like

  8. Not sure I want to know what part 2 of the reset is. Or morbidly, maybe I do…

    Like

  9. Rough times for the people! I like your explanation for the reason why a watering can hangs in the fence…clever.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you – hopefully it stays as fiction, but it doesn’t seem far off sometimes.

      Like

  10. Perfect story for your “come back”!
    I’ve missed you but looking forward to your next book!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Dawn, always appreciate your support 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Very good a very poignant, Iain. I could swear you hadn’t been gone all that long, but you get used to the faces and I probably thought you were there when you weren’t. I did notice you were missing. I am so concerned about what’s happening with our planet.
    Congratulations on your previous books and another one almost out of the pipline. Such an inspiration.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Rowena, good to be back and nice to be missed! 🙂

      Like

  12. Mother Nature has been extremely frantic of late. Bring on the reset!

    Great to see you back Iain, we’ve all missed you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Keith, nice to be missed!

      Like

  13. Wow, this is a harsh climate clense. We have had several of those crazy hard rains after long hot days and it does indeed destroy everything.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Something we are starting to experience here, having not really been an issue before!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Water is such and essential. Hurricanes remind of us that every year here.
    Water is #1 on the list. I could feel the need in your story, Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. nature can only take so much punishment before it undergoes a process of healing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Indeed, I think we may have pushed it too far!

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Loved your use of the visual prompt 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Your idea of a ‘reset’ is a good one. I really hope we wake up before it comes to that. Congratulations on your books.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Margaret 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Definitely feels like the weather.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Drought to floods, nature must correct. Thought provoking story, Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Commanding depiction of the power of Mother Nature, Iain. I’ve been through both drought and flood, as many of us have, and I can attest to the incredible forces of water. We can fight it but in the end, the water will always win.
    High five to you for the success of your books!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much. Hope you get the chance to check out one or tow of the books if you’re looking for a new read 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Nature is a delicate balance. The more we disrupt it, the more she will disrupt back.

    Welcome back. Congratulations on your productivity.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, nice to be back 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  22. It has already begun, if only the world would listen.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Plenty are listening, unfortunately, not the ones in charge it seems. Thanks Liz

      Like

Leave a reply to Inside the Mind of Isadora Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.