A Mastodon writing prompt story. These are science fiction short stories (usually 480 characters or less), based on an image generated by EW Doc Parris using MidJourney.

The stories are originally posted on Mastodon via my personal account.

Originally published May 30, 2023.

Mant looked at the box. His box. It had his name. It had his designation: Middle Nire Number 19. Mini’s had a tough job. Working the Nire was hard enough. The middle shift was the hardest. The heat, the extra atmospheric pressure.

And now he was going to see how long he had to continue to serve. The box monitored all. Press the button, see your fate. How long before you expired. Not everyone pushed the button. His finger hovered, he was unsure. Did he really want to know?