This week’s words: Landfill diversion procession menace countdown skateboard delve brisk periwinkle auctioneer
‘Gather them by the handful,’ she had told them.
‘Make sure you collect an equal amount of blues and purples.’
‘What ones we don’t want will go to landfill. God help us,’ she murmured thinking of the millions wasted and ending up in the ground.
In years to come, she knew, they’d convert the landfill site into a skateboard park and youths with long hair and pimples would have hours of fun and no longer be a potential menace to the rest of society.
She had the ability to look into the future and see the diversions society was to take. These would be the last of the periwinkles. After today the countdown would be on and another loved plant would drift into extinction.
She sighed as the auctioneer mounted to his lectern and looked about surveying the crowd that had gathered after the long procession down the High Street to the Town Hall where the auction of the remaining periwinkle plants would take place.
A brisk auction took place with bids flying left and right as the last of their kind were won and the triumphant quickly delved into their pockets for the cash needed to ensure their success.
Around the town six gardeners worked late into the night inside their especially constructed green houses to create a likely home for the remaining periwinkles as outside the climate was warming at an alarming rate killing off the remaining plant life.
Mans own menace, greed, she thought, had led to this. The one thing so many were in denial of. She watched, as the crowd processed out of the Hall and wandered off realising so many would not survive the next winter.
Written for: https://therattlingbones.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/words-to-write-by-prompt-11/
Morpethroad 
T’is true for so many plants and animals. Once by the hundreds or more several only hang on in handfuls. But not all is to be blamed on humans. Climate change comes in cycles. Though many believe that humans contribute to the advancement of the disappearance many natural things.
Thanks for stopping by my post on the prompt. I’m still sort of in vacation mode and am just picking and choosing what I do write to. One of these days I’ll get back to some or all of some of the other stories I’ve started 🙂
I liked it, but I was distressed that there would likely be no more periwinkles, which as with the image I used in mine, is a “forget me not” flower. However, I liked the hopeful tone about the future of youths.
Beautiful story, Michael… a real vision of what could become a reality in the not so distant future. I love the skateboard ramp and the greenhouse.. nice touches 🙂 would hate to see the periwinkle go!
Devastating thought never seeing the beautiful delicate blue flowers again. Whether the cause was man or global warming, I would try to make the best of it. I’m searching for my rusty old skateboard now. And my knee pads . . .
Better get out there Mandy while you can…..don’t forget you elbow pads as well…..helmet, goggles…….band aids…
Sounds like you do a little boarding yourself, Michael. You’ve got the equipment list down. Goggles? Going for high fashion, I see. Yes, plenty of band aids.
Oh Mandy of course, got to look the part, every fashion accessory imaginable…
Hopefully you’ll post a photo soon! 😀
Don’t be holding your breath…lol
Greed tends to end badly for the natural environment. The Artic ice melt has endangered plants and creatures rarely found elsewhere. I do like periwinkles (I also know a sea snail by the name), but it’s the polar bears I will really miss.
Great use of the words in Lisa’s prompt!
Thank you I had to use periwinkle in one way or other.