“Drock Valley”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Nature, like man, sometimes weeps from gladness.” — Benjamin Disraeli

Rain hadn’t fallen in Drock Valley for years. The neighbouring valleys were all green and bore fruits of various tastes and sweetness. But Drock Valley was bone dry. It was almost like nature just seemed to skip over it every time.

Still, Drock Valley wasn’t lifeless. A singular species of bacteria inhabited the little valley. This species included many subspecies–too many to name right now–that comprised the entire population of Drock Valley.

They thrived on the lack of rain. They couldn’t stand being anywhere near water. Even the very thought of becoming wet gave them the chills.

Scientists studied Drock Valley thoroughly. Each one scratched their head with confusion; why was this particular valley dry while the rest were thriving with life? And what role did the bacteria play in the valley? Were they the reason that the valley remained dry?

Ten more years passed. The valley had gone an entire two decades without rain. And yet, the bacteria still lived. In fact, they thrived.

That was, until the day after the twenty-year mark. That was the day that nature remembered that Drock Valley existed.

Final Comments: This one was a bit of a mess… I didn’t really know what to write about, and then bacteria somehow popped in?

Overall Rating: 🥴