Memories of Snow

April 24, 2014: Story Idea Science Fiction

On a wistful April afternoon, I am exactly 67 years and four months old. My trial member ship to this sit expires in 30 days, so I have to start earning some more money. I'll see how that goes, but that wasn't what I started to write about. It's a beautiful day here in Las Vegas, with sunshine and wind.

The wind woke me up this morning it was blowing so hard. This apartment doesn't keep out the pollen and dust very good because my allergies were acting up. I should be used to that because the house Mom and I lived in didn't keep those things out very well either. I'm not sure any type of house or apartment could keep out the dust and pollen when the wind blows in Las Vegas.

When the wind blows in Las Vegas would make a good title for a poem or short story. I should use it in a story rather then a poem because I need more practice with stories. I haven't written a fiction story in a week or two. The last story I wrote was creative nonfiction about walking home from school in the rain. The story took place in Blackwell, Oklahoma where I grew up. We always walked home from school because there was only one car and my father drove it to work.

I think I'll use the wind blowing in Las Vegas in a science fiction story. If there is a good setting anyplace on Earth for a science fiction adventure it's Las Vegas. I don't think there is any other town or city like this on the planet. True there are cities where gambling or rather gaming as its called now take place, but Vegas is different. Vegas is special and full of interesting (perhaps interesting is not the best word to describe people here) people.

On a wistful April afternoon in Las Vegas people, both natives and tourist, were going about their daily routine when suddenly out of the blue a saucer ship landed on the Las Vegas strip. No one in the city thought it was anything else except some type of publicity stunt created to draw attention to a new casino.

That sounds like a good start to the story, but it says nothing about the wind. The one thing about the in in Las Vegas or anywhere in Nevada is the way it blows. Reno ziphers (all right I don't know how to spell the world I'll leave it that way and figure it out later) are what the winds are called thanks to a famous writer whose name I can't remember right now because of a senior moment. I'll remember the name later; at least I hope i remember it later.

The wind was blowing at 30 mph when the saucer ship landing on the Las Vegas strip at one of the intersections. The saucer would have to land at one of t he intersections because it couldn't land in front of a casino. There are palm trees and all sorts of other plants in the center dividing the four lanes on the strip, so no saucer or any other type of interstelar (another misspelled word) ship to land anyplace on the Strip.

I wonder what aliens form another star system would think of Las Vegas. That would be a good point of view for the story. Write the story from the point of view of the caption of the alien ship. I doubt that any type of instellar aliens would be noticed too much in Las Vegas. After all we have people dressing up in Star Trek costumes all the time on the Strip so real aliens shouldn't make too big a splash in this town. Where should I have the aliens orginate? (For some reason I can seem to spell very well this afternoon, maybe I should have written this this morning.)

Las Vegas is a nice city to live in because there are all sorts of things to do besides gamble. There are shows on the Strip and downtown, maybe I could have the aliens take a tour of the Freemont street experience. At least researching the idea would give me a reason the check that tourist attraction out myself. It's been a long time since I went downtown or to see a show in the Strip. Either of those things are good research adventures. I need to find out what is playing and where. Fun.