2021 QUALIFYING ENTRY

PROMPT: Write a 500 word story inspired by the picture above.

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"I done my job right, Cap'n. You know I don' mess around wi' the security system." Kaz peeked up at the steely-eyed man staring down at him. "I climbed up an' oiled all the pulleys an' checked the ropes for frays an' even spit-shone the bell."

The captain's shoulders relaxed an inch, and Kaz blew out a quiet sigh of relief. He'd messed around a lot, but after they'd lost the whole East colony when a Boomer came for a stroll one day, half the population from their ship gone with one step, there was no way he'd ever mess with the security system. He hadn't survived prison to die under the boot heel of some alien giant.

"Aye, Kaz, I know you wouldn't. I'm just on edge today. Rain is almost upon us, and I'm worried about the harvest. We almost didn't save it from being flooded last time."

Kaz stood up a little straighter and smiled at the older man who had captained their ship in the stars and now led the survivors on this God-forsaken planet.

"Cap'n, I knows you thinks it's nothin' short of idiot talk from getting hit on the head too many times by the warden at the prison mines, but when I was minin', I only noticed the little midgies that bit me. I ain't paid no attention to the other little crawlies that were in the dirt. I seen 'em, but I didn' pay 'em no mind. They didn' bother me, I didn' bother dem.

We need ta go live in the Boomers houses so they don' be noticin' us. Live aroun' the edges outsides, or maybe they gots passages or sumpin' like we do to run cables and pipes an' alla dat. We coulds live a good life in there. 'Stead of out here where we's worried we'll get steppin' on. We don'ts even knows if the ship be survivin' gettin' stepped on by a Boomer!"

It wasn't the first time Kaz had made this argument. Wouldn't be the last. Kaz knew from his days of thieving how convenient it was to hide in the nooks and crannies people forgot about.

Both men jumped when the security tower's wooden door slammed into the wall down below.

"BOOMERS! Boomers incoming!" screeched Yarnel. "Whole mess of 'em incoming!"

The captain nodded once, quickly. "We'll talk about your idea after the Boomers have passed, Kaz. Now, go and ring that bell!"

Kaz saluted sharply then turned and lunged up the stairs towards the rope that would ring the alarm to send every man, woman, and child scurrying into the belly of the crashed ship, in the faint hope it had enough structural strength to withstand the force of a giant's foot.