Alternative Energy

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: Chose, Forty and Candy

Alternative Energy

Scott didn’t know why he’d been chosen. None of them did.

The strange craft had floated silently over the cityscape and, one-by-one, it had plucked them from the New York populace.

Now, forty of them stood in what appeared to be the square of small-town, USA, circa 1955. It reminded him of an old Twilight Zone episode. There was a park across the street with a Merry-go-round and a cotton candy machine. There were cars and shops. The re-creation was almost perfect. Only one thing was missing.

Motion.

Nothing moved.

It was as if everything was locked up tight. No doors would open. All the cars were motionless.

Without a designated leader, the group was little more than unfocused discussion and speculation. The consensus was that they had been abducted by a UFO and were now in a space museum or something. Some guessed it was a test.

Surprisingly, most thought this was quite the adventure.

Right up to the point where the glass booth fried Mrs. Eckerman.

Scott saw the whole thing. The booth showed up in the middle of the street and he just happened to be looking in that direction. Mrs. Eckerman saw it as well. She went over to look but once she stepped inside, “Whoosh”. Nothing but ash was left.

One other thing happened just after. Everything started working. Doors to shops opened. Warm food was on the tables. There was even cotton candy for those that wanted some.

Mrs. Eckerman was soon forgotten … until three days later.

Everything shutdown again, but that wasn’t the scary part.

The scary part was when they all walked out into the street to see what was going on. This time they all saw the glass booth slowly lower itself to the center of Main Street.

Word count 298