Three more dark drabbles today. Enjoy.
Not The Vacation He Signed Up For
Mr. Peabody regretted ignoring the instruction manual.
It looked easy to operate from the tech demonstration, but he wasn’t well versed in virtual imagery gadgets. If this one hadn’t made promises…peaceful vacations, paradise without the travel hassles.
Now he floated in a sea of pink goo, drifting past a floating eyeball, a clacking typewriter and …was that a cracked eggshell with a tree growing out of it?
A thought entered his head. Can I return home?
Strangely, he didn’t care now. He smiled as he floated along, drawing ever closer to a white fence that resembled a row of teeth…
All to Ashes
The teapot and cups sat by the window, as the sky rained ash. Abandoned in the haste to escape, steam drifted from the spout, mirroring the smoke that drifted from the mountain. Its porcelain clattered slightly with another trembling of the earth, but it endured, patiently waiting to be used again.
Outside the ash thickened, blanketing the ground, the buildings. Above the teapot the roof creaked and groaned. Ashes now covered the table from the open window and filled the cups made for the tea.
Yet the pot remained, its liquid grown cold, until the roof collapsed and shattered everything…
Arcadian Remains
They lay in rows on the grass, bodies carefully posed, linen bags pulled over their heads covering their faces; the morning dew soaked into their clothing. Butterflies hovered over their corpses and the faint buzz of bees sounded from nearby flowerbeds.
Clunking footsteps shooed away the insects, morphing into the clank of shovels hitting dirt; the gravediggers had arrived. The sun rose to a midday apex, before settling into its afternoon descent. Only then did the digging cease.
“Any valuables left, you think?”
“Nah, the squads pick ’em clean.”
“Let’s get ’em buried then. Lots more government discards to go.”
Be Afraid of the Dark 
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