First of all, my apologies. I’m on holiday in Greece. I hadn’t been intending to write a story today, but when I saw the prompt it fitted so exactly with how I had spent this morning (see below the story) that I couldn’t resist…apologies are due, though, because I probably won’t read many stories by other people.
Every week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (thank you, Rochelle!) hosts a flash fiction challenge, to write a complete story, based on a photoprompt, with a beginning, middle and end, in 100 words or less. Post it on your blog, and include the Photoprompt and Inlinkz (the blue frog) on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!
PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz
Flying Boat
It had been many years since he had demonstrated his displacement principle to the tyrant of Syracuse, years filled with achievement, honour and, above all, the satisfaction of his curiosity about the world.
Fire burned, a valve tripped, water flashed into steam in turbines, turning the sails from a windmill. The vessel surged heavily across the water, faster and faster, rising as the air rushed beneath its wings.
Crack!
The sails tattered, the laths from which they were constructed beating the blue water to milky froth.
Archimedes frowned. Materials. The principle was sound. All he needed was better materials.
Author’s note
I visited the Archimedes Museum in Olympia today. It’s devoted to the technology of ancient Greece, and it’s astonishing. If political conditions had been different, the Industrial Revolution would have happened two millennia ago. The story above is (probably) not true, but all the technology was available for Archimedes to make the experiment.
lovely piece of speculative fiction, Penny. If they had invented the industrial revolution, what would they have done with it?
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Dear Neil
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I suspect they would have done much the same as we did, got very rich, ruled the world, and still lost to the Romans!
With very best wishes
Penny
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You know the Chinese invented the clock before the Europeans and couldn’t think of anything to do with it. It took the Europeans to think of putting one on every church so they could regulate people’s lives
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Hah!
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How fascinating that this could have been a true story! It makes me think of how many external factors affect the timing of a new discovery/invention.
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What a different world we may have been living in. Interesting piece Penny, hope you have a lovely time in Greece! 🙂
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Dear Iain
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, it’s fascinating to speculate about ‘what if…’ The Romans adopted some of the technology. If they had gone for it wholesale, they could have ruled the world (oh, hang on…they DID rule the world!). But on the whole I don’t think the politics of the day was sufficiently developed for the Industrial Revolution to happen.
Thank you, too, for your good wishes for my holiday.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Great story, Penny. Hope you are having an excellent holiday.
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Dear Bear
Thank you for reading and commenting. The holiday is great, thank you. This morning we have visited the Museum of the Olympic Games. The Games took place every four years and the sequence continued unbroken for over 1100 years! Incredibly, we still know the names of 20% of the winners, even though about 2000 years have elapsed since they competed. The name of an Olympic champion truly does live forever!
With very best wishes
Penny
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Wow, that sounds exciting! We were going to drive up to Gettysburg and see the Civil War Museum and battlefield next week, but the car’s water pump died last night, so there goes our anniversary funds.
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Dear Penny,
Love this piece. So many what-if’s and why-nots which, in my opinion, is what good fiction is comprised of. Well done. Enjoy your holiday. I’m also out of pocket visiting my brother in North Carolina and enjoying the beach. Therefore my responses have also been delayed.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Thank you for reading and for your kind comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. Have a lovely time in North Carolina!
With very best wishes
Penny
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If only he’d invented fibreglass at the same time… 🙂 Nice one!
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Dear Ali
Thank you for reading and commenting. Woven fabric soaked with pine resin and carefully dried would have been a start in that direction – but there’s only so much time in any one life!
With very best wishes
Penny
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How nice of you to take the time to write a FF during your Grecian holiday!
What a great take on the prompt. What if, indeed?
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Dear Dale
Thank you for reading and for your very kind comments. Technology fascinates me – in fact, the only writing of mine that has been published was technical! The museum was an absolute inspiration to me, and I couldn’t resist writing the story.
With very best wishes
Penny
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🙂
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Fascinating story, Penny. Enjoy your holiday. 🙂
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan
Thank you for reading and commenting. I find it astonishing that the story could be true; all the technology was available!
With best wishes
Penny
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I got distracted while reading the first paragraph, and had to start over. Good thing I did–I enjoyed it much more when I could concentrate. What a fun and fascinating story to enjoy 🙂
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Dear Linda
Thank you for reading and for your kind comment. I’m glad you found the story fascinating.
With very best wishes
Penny
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I love where you took this. Being in a different space and time helps, doesn’t it?
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Dear Lish
Thank you for reading and for your appreciative comment. Indeed, being in a different space and time can be very refreshing.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Wonderful piece. I hope you enjoy Greece!
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Dear Kelley
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m enjoying Greece enormously. (I’m currently full of food and pleasantly inebriated with a modest quantity of red wine!)
With best wishes
Penny
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Love this story.
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Dear Jo
Thank you for reading, and for your very kind comment.
With best wishes
Penny
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Wow Penny, enjoy your time. Sounds amazing!
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Dear Tannille
Thank you for reading and commenting. Ancient Greece is the cradle of western culture, and I love to be physically present in the land where it all happened.
With best wishes
Penny
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Terrific story Penny. I’m sitting here green with envy. I so love Greece and it’s time I went back again. Enjoy!
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Dear Keith
Thank you for reading and for your kind words about my story. Greece is a wonderful place. I try to visit for two weeks every year. It feels like my spiritual home. I hope very much that you have the opportunity to visit soon!
With very best wishes
Penny
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Love what you have done here!
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Dear Dawn
Thank you for reading and for your kind comment.
With best wishes
Penny
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Lovely write & very interesting too.
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Dear Lisa
Thank you for reading and for your kind comment. I’m glad you found the story interesting.
With best wishes
Penny
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Fascinating and to be right there in Greece where it happened. There’s so much to learn about ancient civilizations that are amazing. Sounds like you’re having a fun time.
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Dear Jade
Thank you for reading and commenting. I love Greece – a few years ago I thought seriously about living here permanently, but I wasn’t quite brave enough!
With best wishes
Penny
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You are very welcome, Penny.
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Can you imagine what he would have accomplished if he had the right materials? Amazing and an inspiring story of one man’s “curiosity of the world.” It’s too bad not more people have such curiosity.
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Dear Brenda
Thank you for reading and commenting. Some of the Ancient Greek inventions were fascinating – and some showed a whimsical sense of humour. For example, Pythagoras invented a goblet for wine that punished greedy people. If you filled the goblet no further than a level marked on the side, you could drink the wine. If you overfilled the goblet, a siphon actuated and emptied the entire contents of the goblet!
With very best wishes
Penny
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That’s hilarious and interesting too!
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Nice story. Poor textile deprived him from writing his name on another invention.
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Dear Abhijit
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Penny
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A true entrepreneur! Never give up – I love it! A really nice story!
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Dear Nan
Thank you for reading and commenting.
With best wishes
Penny
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That’s an interesting, well-written story based on certain facts, Penny. Have a great trip. It sounds like you are all ready. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne
Thank you for reading and commenting. It was fun to write about technology for a change!
With best wishes
Penny
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