What would it be like to see WWIII start from space? That’s the premise behind this writing prompt: “You are a crew member on the ISS in Low-Earth Orbit, you just lost contact with Houston. As you look out of your observation window you see Nuclear Explosions on the East Coast of the USA, the Third World War has begun.” My response became this piece of microfiction I’m calling ‘Bright Sparks.’ Here’s the opening:
Light. Beautiful, terrible light.
Unless you’ve experienced a nuclear blast in person, you just can’t understand the brightness of the blast, the beauty of this pure spark. Film can’t catch it. Even our 8K video camera is useless. This must be what it’s like to stare directly into the sun. I’m dead, as of now. Only a few more seconds. Might as well try to enjoy them.