© Claire Fuller
“Which chamber do you want?” Marc asked.
“Can’t I share yours?” Sylvie said.
“No. There’s only room for one and once they turn the screws tight, compressing the chamber, the pressure increases. The pain. You’d kill someone else if they were in with you.”
“Oh. That sounds dreadful.”
“That’s nothing. Then they start tipping and tilting and rotating the chambers until your stomach heaves. You have to pee and shit in a bag. When the bag splits from the high pressure it stinks like hell.”
“That’s it. I’m out of here.” Sylvie said.
Marc smiled. “That’s another wannabee astronaut gone.”
Rochelle hosts Friday Fictioneers each week. All are welcome to join in and write a 100 word flash, then add their link via the blue frog found on her site. Otherwise use the blue frog to see other people’s responses to the photo prompt which this week is courtesy of Claire Fuller.
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
This is wonderful, Claire. The best flash fiction I’ve seen ( or perhaps remember!
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Glad you liked it.
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Eeeeeeks! Well done~
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Thanks Cindy.
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Clever idea.
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Thanks Mick.
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Hah! I like this. Don’t think I’d want to be an astronaut either!
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Me either. Thanks for the photo.
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Dear Irene,
Astronaut training. Ready for anything, they are. Well done with this fine tale of winnowing the field.
Aloha,
Doug
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Thanks Doug, It was a cheaper way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Cheers Irene
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Interesting well to separate the boys from the men.
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Cheaper than some of the other ways also.
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LOL.
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Well written. I love the surprise ending.
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Glad you liked it. Thanks
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Sounds a bit like my last budget airline flight!
Rosey Pinkerton’s blog
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Haha. That is exactly what it would have been like.
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Dear Irene,
I think this is in the ranks of one of your best. Great system there of separating the wheat from the chaff. I laughed out loud.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. Glad I could give you a laugh.
Cheers Irene
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So hard to be a hero.
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Absolutely.
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Gee, for a second I thought you were describing one of the rides I saw at the county fair! 😉
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Maybe the ride would be more hair raising. 🙂
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From the looks of some of those rides, I think maybe you are right!
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Excellent Irene! Loved the twist at the end.
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Glad you enjoyed it Joy.
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Thank you Irene. I did!
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No sense of dedication these days. Great idea!
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Thanks Sandra. Most of us want to take the easy way – I guess this is a way of weeding.
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Clever interpretation, Irene. I’d quit, too!
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Thanks Noelle. I don’t think I would have started.
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I hope they don’t run out of new recruits – this guided tour would put anyone off the job. Well told.
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Thanks Margaret. They say training a new employee is expensive, particularly if they leave as soon as trained. They are trying to save money and time with a bit of early weeding.
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Heh, I love it. When they are scared away so easily they don’t belong on a space craft.
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Yes and it is cheaper to get rid of them earlier rather than later.
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Yep! I’d fail training, too before I ever entered! Imaginative take on the prompt!
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Thanks Charli. I don’t think I’d even apply to start.
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So much for me going to Mars! Nice job.
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Thanks Perry. I don’t think too many want to sign up for training.
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Isn’t life on Earth a space ride, one we cannot get off? Great take on the prompt!
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That is a good way of looking at life. Thanks
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Ha.. yes I think being an astronaut is far from being a walk in the park… I have a friend who came pretty close to become one (she was second after the one that god accepted)… I think the bleak prospect of spending your life waiting to get into space was the worst part.
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Yes, a bit like Prince Charles waiting to be King.
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I thought we were talking about pressed flowers until we got to the part where you poop in a bag. Great ending!
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LOL. Thanks
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Haha , great story with a great reveal, astronauts never entered my head Irene, well done.
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Thanks Dee. I don’t think I knew where I was going with it as I was writing it.
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LOL…that’s one way to weed ’em out!
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Absolutely. Saves a lot of money on training.
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I’ve always wanted to pee in a gravity free environment. I’d feel like a 6 yr. old again. 🙂
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You’re accepted. At times you will have to wear nappies too. Take you right back.
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