To the untrained eye, the massive patch of lily pads that sprawled across the northwest corner of Lake Diablo seemed to be a natural part of the ecosystem. Biologist Blake Carter knew better. He’d been studying the lake flora for nearly two years and recognized that the awesome bloom resulted from a significant rise in carbon dioxide in the water. Combined with the increase in seismic activity at the nearby fault line, he suspected the worst.
His pleas to the park service to close the lake were ignored. When the volcano under the lake erupted, none were left to regret their ignorance.
Word Count: 102
[This is my entry into this weeks Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Use the photo prompt to create a short story in 100 words or less.]
~V
The Well of Fiction 
Dear V,
I’m sure it was no victory for Blake Carter to be right. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Indeed it was not. Sometimes being wrong would be a blessing. Thanks for reading.
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Good one.
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Love the name Blake Carter – real superhero stuff. And a good story to boot.
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LOL… thanks. I’m sure Blake appreciates that.
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Scary. No one ever listens to the guy who knows what he’s talking about do they? In this case, there loss. Great job.
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The first paragraph here reads like the beginning of a novel… and I would have kept reading! Have you ever tried extending any of your flash pieces? I’ve never managed to make that leap.
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I haven’t yet but I keep telling myself that I’m going to. It’s exciting to consider the possibilities of some of the kernals that emerge from flash fiction but I’ve not yet gone that far.
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I love the title, and the story is just as good. Well told.
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Thank you Margaret. 🙂
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Great story! No-one ever listens to the scientists (unless they’re saying the “right” thing”).
Calling it “Lake Diablo” was asking for trouble, and I like the idea of the “devil under the water” being the volcano.
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The name of the lake sort of came to me arbitrarily and the title just fit nicely after that. Funny how things work out. 🙂
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Scientist ignored, over and over again. We the humans are not the sharpest tool in the shed, are we? I think the old folks that named it Lake Diablo couldn’t leave a clearer sign. Nicely done!
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Thank you.
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Scientists don’t claim to have the absolute and final truth and thus aren’t ‘believed’–as if well factual evidence had anything to do with belief. Great story, from title to science.
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Thanks. I agree that science isn’t perfect (and no one claims it is) but it’s easier to work from evidence than from dogma or the many biases illusions we coat ourselves with. Yet we often discard objectivity for subjectivity because it falls into our comfort zone. And as in this story, that sometimes comes with a price. I’m fairly sure that Blake took his own advice and cleared out before it was too late. Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂
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Great story and foreshadowing. We never learn:)
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It does seem that way, doesn’t it? Was Blake playing the part of Chicken Little or was he the voice of reason? I’m guessing the locals thought the former. Bad call on their part. Thanks for reading.
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Great story! I immediately thought about the saying, what we don’t learn we are doomed to repeat. (Bombay).
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I hope he at least got away in time – someone must warn the next leakside dwellers!
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I think he did. He knew what was coming and he wasn’t suicidal so I suspect our hero may surface again. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
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Oh boy, a win that doesn’t quite feel so victorious.
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Trying to convince the naysayers is a full-time job for scientists – who unfortunately too often fail…
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Many have spoken but non are heard. A timely story whith a tragic ending.
Nicely done ..
Isadora 😎
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Thank you, Isadora.
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Great story. Why don’t they ever listen?
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I know. An age old question for humanity. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. 🙂
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Good story, Voice. No one ever listens do they. Many didn’t listen about Mt. St. Helens either. It would probably shock us to learn where all the volcanoes are or how close they are to erupting. Great description that made it sound realistic. Well done. — Suzanne
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Thanks Suzanne. It was Mt. St. Helens that gave me the inspiration for this story. I appreciate the comment!
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Hard to say ‘I told you so’ when you are collateral damage! Great story.
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LOL… too true! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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Love that name – conjures up a rugged man and with brains too, nice! But sad that authorities never listen to the real experts who see the foreboding signs. Like how you use the tight word count so well, flowed really well.
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Thank you. The small word count really helps to clean up unnecessary clutter and has been helpful to my writing.
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For me it helps vocabulary….finding one word to replace a few. Clutter….interesting concept.
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Lol… yes, that’s true. A thesaurus is a must when writing flash fiction. I’ve used Vocabulary.com for help with learning new words.
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This is helpful…never knew…thanks
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