{This is in response to a prompt from Tuesday Scribes #tuesdayscribes run by Mike Jackson .
The task is to write a “drabble” which is, apparently, an exactly 100-word piece from the prompt.
A little biting, this week, so sorry. Thanks for inviting me, Mike! }
Everyone wanted an Emmett Langor. Even the Border Patrol.
His holograms, “Beautiful Mirages,” were so convincing, that some clients actually fell in love.
After twenty years of eclipsing his competition, Emmett Langor felt compelled to heed the call. To serve his country.
The Border Door Project would make an impact. Would truly stun his audience.
So clever, in its deceit. As you approached, an array of doors welcomed you, giving the illusion of choice.
In fact, your conclusion was foregone.
Even as it beckoned, it restrained. Secret electrical currents suffused the vaporous haze.
His finest mirage. Both beautiful and cruel.
Well done!
A wonderful piece of writing Andrea.
Thanks for participating in the inaugral ‘Tuesday Scribes’. Hope to see you next week when there will be a new picture and a new challenge.
Thanks Mike! Look forward to it.
I enjoyed your story. The concept of a door opening into a better world reminded me of an old Doctor Who episode . Those doors were not as they seemed either. Nice work.
Thanks Susan. Yes. This was a bit Dr. Who-ish, at least in as much as there being a rather deranged, Mensa-qualified person impacting a relatively innocent world. But Dr. Who seems to have a bit more of a conscience. At least in the iterations of him/her that I have seen over the years, usually over the shoulders of my teens. But once or twice, in my own twenties, I recall seeing a certain Dr. Who flip his scarf over his own shoulder! See you next week!