By Eric Burgoyne
PROMPT — If only ...
Fred was washing his new Subaru in the driveway in front of the house. A meteorite crashed down in his backyard before he could finish rinsing the suds off. This pissed him off. Fortunately, the water continued flowing from the garden hose—probably not that large of a meteorite—so he finished rinsing the car. He went inside the garage to a small refrigerator, popped open a can of Diet Coke and took a couple of gulps before his wife came running in screaming. She yanked his arm, spilling some of his drink, and pulled him through the small door at the back of the garage and shrieked, “Look what has happened!”
Fred felt mildly uncomfortable at the sight. Steam flowed from a hole in the ground where the petunia bed had been. Even worse, his cherry tomato vines were gone, possibly vaporized or perhaps deep inside the hole beneath the meteorite. Apparently unsalvageable. At this moment Fred’s wife decided she was probably dreaming and relaxed. It was clear that no one at their home had been hit by the rock from space. Fred finished his soda, tossed the empty can in the recycling bin, and walked into the yard to check for any further damage.
On the far side of town the sound of sirens could be heard.
Eric Burgoyne lives on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. His degrees are from Reading University, Berkshire, England, and the University of Utah. Later this year, he completes a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Teesside University, Middlesbrough, England. His poems have appeared in As It Ought To Be Magazine, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Brickplight-Poetry Beyond the Pale, and elsewhere.