For two nights and a day they bloomed. Filling the world’s skies with light and apparently, sound. We sat on the playground, our faces turned skyward. The greatest firework display on earth our teachers said, their mouths round with each flowery burst. We watched late-night television in the common room, the hands explaining physicists’ and UFO experts’ theories, prophets’ and doctors’ warnings. And the doom-mongers’ threats: don’t watch, the lights will blind.
Too late they learned: it wasn’t the lights, but the noise. They say the world is disabled; but we sign that now we are all the same: deaf.
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Listen to me read this story:
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This is a 100-word (exactly) flash fiction, part of the Friday Fictioneers group, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s picture is supplied by Vijaya Sundaram. Click here to write your own 100-word story, or here to read others inspired by the same picture.
Claire Fuller 
I don’t know why, but it surprised me that you did a sci-fi take on this. Somehow I hadn’t seen that as your genre, but you did it very well. Like all good sci-fi it’s an allegory and makes us think about the world we really do inhabit. Really well done, Claire. I loved this
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I suppose sci-fi isn’t my genre, but always fun to mix it up a bit.
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Interesting idea. What a strange place the world would become if we all became deaf. And the question remains – what were those lights in the sky? Lovely piece of writing.
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Thanks Iain. I was thinking a bit of Day of the Triffids, although that was sight. I wonder what would change if we were all deaf? Probably so many things we can’t even imagine.
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I agree, it would definitely need to be a full-length novel to tell the ‘what happened next’ part of the story.
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Cool, very “Day of the Triffids” 🙂
Loved the sentiment in the last line.
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An interesting change of genre. I liked it very much.
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I wonder if their children will be born deaf?
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Ooh, now there’s a thought.
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Dear Claire,
I love hearing you read. I was thinking Triffids, too, although I believe they went blind. Unique take and vivid wording.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well, at least we won’t have to listen to whatever weird alien music they listen to whenever they take us over!
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I’ve had a rough year with my hearing and ear drum surgery, so I can sympathize with those people. And, I no longer take good hearing for granted.
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It is so easy to take things for granted. I had a little moan to my husband about having to walk back home from the station recently rather than take a taxi, and he pointed out that one day we might not be able to walk and will have to take a taxi, so we should walk now while we have the choice.
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Excellent sideways thinking! 😮
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Thank you
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Perhaps this was prelude so that we will not hear them coming. 🙂
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Perhaps…
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That’s a great take and interesting SF story. Several generations of deaf people… their (hopefuly hearing) children will have to learn to be tolerant of people who are different from them. And maybe that’s the reason for it all.
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Yes, maybe something good will come out of it.
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What a great story. So beautifully told too. Love the twist that the fireworks make the world deaf (instead of blind as in Day of the Triffids), that it’s a disability that levels society. Loved it. Maybe you should stray into sci-fi more often … 🙂
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Maybe… thanks for commenting and glad you enjoyed it.
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My pleasure 🙂
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Fascinating story and I love the scale of the idea that it will take something like this to make us a united world people.
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Thanks, Hilary.
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Now THIS was different! Who knew? I’m imagining the world without sound. Super reading, Claire! It has the right tone and the right reader, too. 😉
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Thank you!
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Wouldn’t that be something? We would all learn a thing or two if we were all deaf. Great, imaginative take, Claire.
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Thanks, Amy.
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A world suddenly gone deaf… and where to hide really.. what a great set of fantasy…
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Thanks, Bjorn.
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It did actually remind me a bit of “the country of the blind”… not in the sense of what happened but what might happen in the future… I don’t know if you ever read it, but I read it at school a long time ago and still remember it.
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A good sci-fi story, Claire. My dad had a friend who’s son went deaf from serving in a submarine during WWII. I think half of this country may go deaf if they aren’t already. The fireworks go on for days, they play drums of all sizes in the parades and turn the outside and inside speakers up to full volume for the music. The walls of houses have been known to vibrate when parades pass. People can’t seem to change even though warned. Excellent writing as always. —- Suzanne
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Beautiful! I love love the last paragraph! Very much enjoyed your sci-fi take and the feeling of unity at the end of this unforeseen event and its consequences.
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I like your take on this a lot, Claire! The science-go element is subtly done, and the focus on loss of hearing is a nice shift away from the more predictable aspects of such a scenario.
(Sorry to read this so late. Been having computer issues, and am now tying this on my cellphone!)
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Thanks so much for reading. Pleased you liked it.
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