"Requiem" Short Story Preview

I'd like to preview another short story (which I'll post tomorrow), a composite of two pieces I wrote way back in high school. It's quite shorter than the one I posted a few months ago (it's only about 1500 words) and at some point I'd like to expand it because I think it has the potential to be pretty good. Perhaps I'll find time over the summer to work on it, but we'll see. I'm a slow writer when it comes to fiction (not to mention I'm also fairly inexperienced at it) and it may be a while before I get around to it, if at all.

Anyway, I think I should point out that it's not a very happy story. In fact, it's quite bleak and depressing, considering it's set in a post-apocalyptic world. For some reason, I find the genre of a post-apocalyptic world to be fascinating. I know it can be quite depressing at times (The Road) but still extremely captivating and thought-provoking (The Matrix). I tend to find that setting a unique way to explore issues that are not normally addressed by more popular genres.

Science fiction is fun that way, which is why I guess I tend to lean towards that genre whenever I try to write fiction. As for this specific story, the post-apocalyptic setting allowed me the chance to explore the concept of mortality from a unique approach. The setting also allowed me to portray a world that is dark and ugly and bleak and sad, something that is not often seen, but nevertheless is true of the world today. Things are not always pretty. And considering that humanity is not always pretty, I imagine that when things fall apart, what results can be quite jarring.

Given that I don't exactly recall when I wrote it, I'll hazard a guess that I was influenced by the film Children of Men, a lush and dark film by Alfonso Cuaron that takes place in the near future where men are infertile and women are incapable of bearing children. A child hasn't been born in 17 years and the human race is falling apart. Britain has become an isolationist police state, America has collapsed into anarchy, and suicide is encouraged. Heavy stuff, but wonderfully captivating, beautifully acted (Clive Owen is great as the lead character), and magnificently directed.

Until next time, Orange Hat Guy