© irene waters 2014
Þingvellir national park in Iceland immediately came to mind when Charli posed her latest flash fiction challenge.
July 30, 2014 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that involves a crack. It’s a rich word, full of possibility. Do cracks reveal something to you, something beyond the surface? Take a crack at this prompt and respond by noon (PST) Tuesday, August 5 to be included in the compilation.
The reason this national park came to mind is because this is the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is above ground. I’m fascinated with plate tectonics and to walk in this rift valley was almost as mind blowing as climbing the volcano in Vanuatu. When you think that 20 million years ago Africa and South America were joined and what began as a small crack in the Earth’s crust is now a huge ocean with massive under sea mountain range running 40,000 kms along its length.
This widening continues today and the scientists in the national park and no doubt elsewhere keep a close watch on it. The movement is measurable at around 5cms per year. Where will the continents be in years to come and I wonder what did those early hominoids think as they saw these cracks appear, open and widen with the resulting movement of water?
Janet’s screams tore through the house. Another nightmare. She hated these dreams of the earth shaking, swallowing her parents in the cracks which divided the earth and disappearing as the earth shook shut. She knew it didn’t happen. She’d been having them since she was three and now at twelve she should know better. She didn’t live in an earthquake zone. Still she perspired and longed for her parents to come and comfort her. Why didn’t they come? Rising she padded out to find them. In the dark she couldn’t see the crack – not until she felt herself falling.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Outstanding – and wonderful background info.
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Thanks Sharon. Glad you enjoyed it.
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I read Ballet Shoes For Anna as a child and the earthquake scene left a lasting impression. Your piece strongly brought back all those emotions.
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I don’t know that book but it sounds like one I’ll keep my eyes open for.
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It’s by Noel Streatfeild. I’ve not read it since but I think it might be time to revisit it.
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Thanks for that. It must be good as it was written in 1935 and still available on Amazon. I’ll definitely look out for it or get it online.
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Great 99 words, and the picture and background were great!
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Thanks Noelle. It’s fascinating stuff and to see it happening (not quite see but my imagination is vivid) in front of you makes it all very real.
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Nice one, Irene. Having been to Iceland, I had to smile at the raincoats in your photo (the fact of them, rather than anything about the style).
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Thanks Anne. Yes. Worse than England the weather and I totally unprepared for it.
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Like you, I’m in awe of geological forces, especially plate tectonic. Living in the Pacific Northwest it almost seems unreal that I’m close to volcanoes. Perhaps like your character in your flash, I chide myself for foolish fears, but might awake one night to ciders in the sky. As to a crack–the Hub’s father remembers the huge crack that happened outside his hometown in Nevada when one chunk of land dropped 10 feet during a huge earthquake. Geological forces are hard for us to imagine except in their moments of extreme activity. Terrific photo, post and flash!
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Thanks Charli. Yes there is nothing like the forces of nature. I think I would be terrified permanently if I had experienced a ten foot drop in the level of the land.
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Dreams do come true – nightmares too, it seems. Great flash! Interesting to hear about Iceland as well. 🙂
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I love that comment Norah. I have never thought about that but if dreams come true then the same must hold with nightmares. My days of remembering dreams have gone for some reason. They used to be quite vivid and thankfully I haven’t had nightmares for even longer. 🙂
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I’m pleased none of my nightmares have come true! I used to have some pretty vivid ones as a child. Now just some weird and unsettling dreams, which I don’t often remember, but then go through phases when I do. Does not remembering dreams mean that we sleep well?
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I think it probably does. I certainly feel as though I sleep well anyway. Possibly it is more to do with where in the cycle you wake up. Perhaps when younger we are often woken by our dreams so we remember them whereas now I sleep through and the image is gone.
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