“Come on,” she pleaded. “The ship leaves soon.”

“Do you think we’ll ever come back? Our people, I mean.” He was stalling – searching in the mess of their evacuation.

“Probably not. This place will be uninhabitable.”

He picked up a book, considered it a moment, then tossed it aside.

He saw it. “Here!” He dislodged the artifact from a pile and displayed it.

“That.”

“To help us remember where we came from.”

She checked the time. “We’ll never make it now!”

“Sure we will. I know a shortcut.” he said, taking her by the hand. “Come on.”

---

This flash fiction in 97 words was crafted for The M3 blog’s Flash in the Pan.

It was inspired by this article.