50 Comments
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Alexander Ipfelkofer's avatar

All hail the Sphere! ;) Nice one, Sharron!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

On your knees, Ipfelkofer. A new God must be appeased.

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Kate Henry's avatar

Hmmm.... cut the internet. A thank you would do.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yeeps.

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Jim Melvin's avatar

Very nice. It would have taken me 5,000 words to say the same thing. 😀

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thank you, Jim, for dropping in and reading my stuff. You have a lot of choices out there. I am honored you chose Leaves today.

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Richard Blaisdell's avatar

Many facets that rise. A gift the sphere left behind. It didn’t come just to say “Hello.”

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

No it didn't. Now, if we only knew its motives...

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Karen Kenworthy's avatar

Hmmm I wonder what the new God is?!! Better, or worse...

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Touchy subject... I am not going there.... ha ha ha

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M Paulsen's avatar

Well written, but creepy!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Very creepy. Sorry! I think the Sphere had me under its control.

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James Ron's avatar

Good one, Sharon!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks James. I think a lot of people get nervous at the thought of something taking over or wiping out the internet...

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Thomas D’Arcy O’Donnell's avatar

.. it was only here to learn slang & cusswords ..

& my Love’s jambalaya recipe .. nothing more

.. remain calm .. 🦎🏴‍☠️🌶️

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Karen Kenworthy's avatar

I want to learn your Love’s jambalaya recipe! But I am not the sphere 😂

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Thomas D’Arcy O’Donnell's avatar

.. don’t wanna steal no thunder from delightful ms Bassano .. (as if wuz even possible)

will Post Love’s jambalya recipe via Notes today as a photo without fail.. & note it’s 16 shrimp & ‘a few shakes of hot pepper sauce’ needs proviso ‘user discretion’ - she prefers okra vs the file too - note too my short fiction re ‘Wedding Notices & Funeral Announcements’ etc includes a Bayou substitute for the chicken.. as Granny Storch a big defender of everglade gators even if they steal her fowl.. eh !

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Whew! Alright, then.

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Kristi Keller 🇨🇦's avatar

Well that was profound. The thought that internet could go the hell away so we could learn how to be human again...intriguing 😁

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I would be willing to live without the internet. Man! How my life would change. I would, for example , have to form a group of writers right here in my town to share stories with. I sure would miss all the writers I love on Substack, friends I will never meet.

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Elle Wolfe's avatar

I like the sci-fi world created. Kind of reminds me of the Netflix movie, Leave the World Behind. It’s shocking how tech is woven into so much of how we live and function rendering us incapacitated without it.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

A true concern, Elle.

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T. D. Wolf's avatar

I liked that! The alien that brings us all together is a kind of sci-fi sub-genre. I just watched Arrival recently, the Amy Adams movie with that theme.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I saw that too! Lots of fun - those stringy, amorphous aliens were sure weird creatures. Nothing at all humanoid about them...

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Feasts and Fables's avatar

Imaginative, taut writing, Sharron. Nice interpretation of the prompt.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yowza! Thanks, FandF. You are so kind to say that.

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Wade Terry's avatar

It internet giveth much… but I wonder at what price from time to time. Loved your story of separation.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yes. Scary business. Thanks for reading my story, Wade!

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Oooooooh, hurrah for the Sphere! Mind you... well, is the world ready? What might the implications be? Food for thought indeed!!

Another great 50-word story, Sharron. I love these!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Frankly, I don't even want to think about what the future holds for our next generations. Too creepy. So many films now about dystopia and catastrophes scare me.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Same here!

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Bravo.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Hey! Thanks, Mark.

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Justin Deming's avatar

A powerful story with many layers. Excellent work, my friend! Thank you for sharing!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I love you for calling us together, Justiin ( I almost confused you with Uncle Scott this morning. He wrote such a good story.)

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Justin Deming's avatar

The man can write! It’s so much fun for me to see his name pop up from time to time. He wrote a couple of business-related books...I forget their publication dates. But I guess I caught the writing bug like him!

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Justin Deming's avatar

And thank you. It’s all such good fun for me. Everything from my correspondence/collaboration with John to reading and commenting on everyone’s stories. The fire is burning strong! 😄

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