Photo by: Barbara W. Beacham
Mountains From Mole Hills
The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?
“You noticed that too, eh?” said Becka. The scientist had been a customer for years.
“Probably my imagination.”
“Nope,” said Becka. “I measured the distance from Harry’s Cafe to the hedge yesterday. I measured it again today. It’s exactly five centimeters closer.”
For weeks, the hedge moved closer each night. Soon, a cabal of forty cafe customers and baristas formed. Each day, they anxiously discussed the possible causes. “It might be geology,” said Becka. “I’ve called in a scientific team from the USGS. Just to be safe, I’ve notified the FBI and the DoD. They’ll be sending teams shortly. The government’s getting pretty anxious about it. Even the President has been notified. About 120 investigators will arrive by tomorrow.”
In the cafe’s back room, Harry said, “It’s working great! In one month the backyard will be long enough for a horseshoe court.”
Raj, the owner of NanoMovers Inc, said, “Told you. The nanobots can move buildings without disrupting business. But why keep this secret? You should tell everyone you’re moving the cafe.”
“No way. That would only cause suspicion and wild speculation!”
______________________________
Author’s Notes:
I bet most folks know these, but just in case:
USGS = United States Geological Service
FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation
DoD = Department of Defense
Congrats to the US Women’s Soccer team on a fantastic World Cup Championship win!
Each week, photographer Barbara W. Beacham presents a photo as a prompt for flash fiction. She also provides the first sentence to start things off. This week, the sentence was, “The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?” Look here to see what other folks wrote: https://mondaysfinishthestory.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/mondays-finish-the-story-july-6th-2015/
EagleAye
Loved the story oh WordMaster! Thank you for another great addition to the MFtS challenge, and be well. Next week will be flying off the page! ^..^
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Thanks so much, Barb! Glad you enjoyed it. You got me looking forward to next week to see what wonders you bring us. 🙂
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It’s a good one! Martin Furman helped…
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So very good and clever….. Horseshoes rule!!!
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Yes, they do! Thank you very much! 🙂
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There will be some surprised looks on many faces when the investigators arrive and realise who the culprit is. Great story!
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I expect many folks in the government are going to be pretty mad at Backa, and also Harry. All that effort for a false alarm. On the other hand, I expect “NanoMovers” might see some government contracts in the future. 😉 Glad you liked it, and thanks! 🙂
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I think that Becka is about to have her scientific credibility ruined – chances are, once Harry hears about the investigators, the moving is going to stop. Unless, of course, they talk to him and he comes clean.
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After getting the scientific community all excited and the government up in arms? Yeah, Becka’s career may indeed take a u-turn. Harry will probably panic when masses of guys in dark suits and sunglasses arrive at the door. He’ll probably flush his stash down the toilet and burn the photos of that girl named Sunshine he met at Woodstock. Raj will probably have a scary visit, but things will go well for him in the end.
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Nice building of suspense and speculation in such a short piece. With just a few lines I was really wondering what the end would bring. I did NOT think nanaobots!
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That’s my job: keeping you guessing until the end. 😉 I love it when the story keeps folks interested and wondering the whole time. Sometimes these things just work. Thanks so much, Mara. I really appreciate your words. 🙂
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Great story as always, bit disappointed you didn’t work in the women’s soccer success…..but entertaining as always….
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I know, I know. I’ll try to work the women’s victory into another story. Maybe Carli Lloyd will appear and kick the butts of three supervillians in a row. 😉 Glad you you enjoyed this one. Thanks much!
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I want a nanobot! Great story!
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Me too. Thank you kindly! 🙂
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Whatta moving story!
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Haha! Ba dump bump. 😀 Thank you. 🙂
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Very funny! and all for a horseshoe court! Yup, those nanobots will be of great interest to the government What a unique idea! Well done!.
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Who’d ever thought the whole US government would get stirred up over a horseshoe court? Well at least, if the government decides to move the White House, they know how to do it now. 😉 Glad to know you got a laugh. Thanks much, Yolanda! 🙂
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Clever use of technology in the story….It was a fun read.
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So good to hear that. I always want folks to have fun with my stories. Thanks so much! 🙂
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Great story, Eric. I wonder if that will become possible one day. Well done once again. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks so much, Suzanne! Much appreciated. 🙂
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Hahaha, the president has been notified. I wouldn’t think about the building being moved instead. That’s a nice twist.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much! 🙂
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