Campaign Platform Challenge

This is my entry for the Third Campaigner Challenge. Here's what the challenge was:

Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:

that it’s morning,
that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach
that the MC (main character) is bored
that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting
that something surprising happens.
Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise." (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).



Death Rains Down

The stale stench of rotting fish and the frantic calls of grounded birds drenched in oil were all around me---filling my nose and making me want to scream myself. I sank down into the wet sand, lifting my hand to run my fingers through my hair, before I took a look at its grimy appearance and decided against it. The sun had barely crested the horizon and I knew this was going to be another long day of trying to clean up the mess of the tanker a few miles off the coast.

Taking a deep breath I tried to muster up some energy to stand and get to work, but I’d seen too much of this type of destruction before. I thought saving the environment would give purpose to my life, but instead it only depressed me. “Synbatec, my little wastopaneer,” my native mother used to say. “Keep your life in balance or you end up synbatec. Tacise, or, as your father says, remember.” I missed her.

With a sigh, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees while turning my face into my sleeve. It helped relieve the rotting fish smell for a moment and I was grateful. “Snap out of it,” I told myself.

The call of the birds was getting more insistent and woeful and I knew I needed to go. Before I could stand up, however, the hum of a plane buzzed above me and I shaded my eyes, looking for it. It didn’t take long to spot, as the flash across the sky was leaving heavy black smoke trailing behind it. Within seconds, it had exploded into a fiery ball. Scrambling, I headed inland, searching for cover while the flaming debris starting to rain down on the dead fish, defenseless birds, and me.