Hugh's Views & News  

WordPress & Blogging tips, flash fiction, photography and lots more!

,

The Collector

Published by

Hugh W. Roberts

on

August 19, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story using the phrase, “stars in the sand.” Your story can be any genre (or poem) and can use realism or fantasy. It’s a dreamy prompt. Go where the it leads!

The Collector – by Hugh W. Roberts

One hundred and twenty million years had passed since its last visit.

It didn’t like the feel of the granular material, but the stars that had fallen into what humans named ‘sand’ needed replenishing to keep the planet alive.

Picking up an item the waves washed ashore, the Collector studied it. It smelt and tasted good. For every one of these items it took away, it left a star.

As beaches around the planet shone, humans wondered where all the plastic in the seas had gone.

It would only be another twenty years before the Collector returned.

***

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch. Click here to join in.

***

Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you may also like…

***

Follow Hugh on his social media platforms by clicking the buttons below.

Copyright © 2021 hughsviewsandnews.com – All rights reserved.

Discover more from Hugh’s Views & News  

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

19 responses to “The Collector”

  1. Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – August 2021 – Hugh's Views & News   avatar
    Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – August 2021 – Hugh's Views & News  

    […] The Collector […]

    Reply
  2. dgkaye avatar
    dgkaye

    Wonderful story Hugh. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone did their part in ‘collecting’ :) xx

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      Absolutely, yes, Debby. Every day, I do my part by picking up at least one piece of rubbish or recycling and placing it in the correct bin. If we all did the same, it would make such a huge difference.

      Reply
      1. dgkaye avatar
        dgkaye

        I’m there my friend! xx

        Reply
  3. Norah avatar
    Norah

    How wonderful to take the plastic pollution and leave a star in its place. We’d all be stars if we just collected a little more. I enjoyed your story, Hugh.

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      Thank you, Norah. Just imagine if every single person on Earth picked up a piece of litter every day next week and disposed of it correctly. What a help that would be to Mother Earth.

      Reply
      1. Norah avatar
        Norah

        Indeed it would, Hugh. And even more so, if nobody ever discarded it thoughtlessly.

        Reply
  4. Charli Mills avatar
    Charli Mills

    I often think how Mother Earth is the great recycler, turning over stones of materials she’s played with for millions and billions of years. But I love the idea of a visiting Collector!

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      Thanks, Charli. We’re all Collectors and can do so much together.

      Reply
  5. JT Twissel avatar
    JT Twissel

    Oh my – perhaps expand to a longer piece? Intriguing idea.

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      Thank you. I may do, but I usually leave these pieces as they are unless I decide to put them in a book.

      Reply
  6. Cathy avatar
    Cathy

    I like this a lot, Hugh. We could definitely do with a collector.

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      Thanks, Cathy. Maybe the Collector is already out there…and watching…and waiting for its time.

      Reply
  7. Liesbet @ Roaming About avatar
    Liesbet @ Roaming About

    I wish the Collector showed up every day! Or, even better, that humans stopped polluting!

    Reply
    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
      Hugh W. Roberts

      You found the message in this piece of flash, Liesbet. We should all do what we can; otherwise, our planet would already be a long way down the line to oblivion. But before we get there, who knows? Maybe the Collector will turn it attentions to other objects on our planet that contain plastic. Including us! Maybe it will save the planet?

      Reply
      1. Liesbet @ Roaming About avatar
        Liesbet @ Roaming About

        The Collector might have to save our planet, because, obviously, we can’t – or don’t want to enough… :-(

        Reply
        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
          Hugh W. Roberts

          I’m going to keep trying, though. Maybe we are all ‘Collectors?’

          Reply
        2. Liesbet @ Roaming About avatar
          Liesbet @ Roaming About

          We could all be Collectors, Hugh, and some of us are. We try our best too, whenever we know we can dispose easily of picked-up garbage on beaches and elsewhere. It’s a start and I am always in awe and thankful when I see people set out in groups, purposefully, to clean trash in nature. This summer at the Belgian coast, Mark and I did the same one afternoon with my niece and nephew – on their initiative! There is hope. :-)

          Reply
          1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar
            Hugh W. Roberts

            I’m always shocked by how many people leave their rubbish on the beach, Liesbet. It’s often the case that the tide comes in and takes it all out to sea. I’m also shocked that it seems to be students who are mainly to blame, especially given that many go on marches about global warming. Our local council has a volunteer team who collect rubbish most days before the crowds arrive. But it doesn’t help that there are not enough trash bins and that instead of forcing rubbish into already overflowing bins, people don’t think about taking their rubbish home with them instead. I hope the Collector pays these litterbugs a visit one day.

            Reply

Leave a reply to dgkaye Cancel reply

Hello,

I’m Hugh

Welcome to my blog. I’m delighted to have you here. This is the place to discover tips on blogging and WordPress, flash fiction, photography, and more. I enjoy engaging with my readers, so please feel free to explore, join discussions, and contact me. I’m happy to assist! Find out more about me and my blog by clicking the ‘Meet Hugh’ button.

Let’s connect

Latest posts

Subscribe to Hugh’s Views And News

Latest Posts

Looking for your next quick read? Try my books

An image of book covers, book, tablet and mobile phone, for the book Glimpses.
An image for the book More Glimpses - showing a book cover, tablet and mobile phone.

Follow Hugh in the Fediverse

Hugh's Views & News  
Hugh's Views & News  
@hughsviewsandnews.com@hughsviewsandnews.com

WordPress & Blogging tips, flash fiction, photography and lots more!

301 posts
6 followers
A widget with the words 'Team Effort - Story Chat Digest - Where Authors Meet - Author'

Recommend Blogs To Follow

Boomer Eco Crusader
Boomer Eco Crusader
Live Green | Declutter | Simplify Life
Jacqueline Lambert
Jacqueline Lambert
Award-Winning Travel Humour Writer
Spo-Reflections
Spo-Reflections
To live is to battle with trolls in the vaults of heart and brain. To write; this is to sit in judgment over one's Self. Henrik Ibsen
Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Fancying France
The musings of a ‘femme d’un certain âge’ who divides her time between SW France and SE England
SONGS AND SCRIPTS AND DUNKING BISCUITS
Every day tales of a winging-it creative
Marsha Ingrao Always Write
Marsha Ingrao Always Write
Having fun blogging with friends
Curiosities, Castles and Coffee Shops
Curiosities, Castles and Coffee Shops
The musings of a curious mind
WrookieSchU
WrookieSchU
Live life 🙌🏼
WPcomMaven
WPcomMaven
Helping you make the most of your free WordPress.com website since 2011
Second Wind Leisure Perspectives
Second Wind Leisure Perspectives
Fun, Photography & Friends
Share Your Light
Share Your Light
You are a miracle – Let it happen
No Facilities
No Facilities
Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams
Esther Chilton
Writer, Tutor and Editor
Roaming About
A Life Less Ordinary
Saying nothing in particular
Saying nothing in particular
Jan … JT Twissel
The Chicago Files
The Chicago Files
A Canadian Perspective on Living in the Windy City!

Thank you to all my visitors

471,738 hits

254,646 visitors

Most Viewed Posts & Pages Over The Last 24 Hours

You're Not Stuck: The Surprising Power Of Finally Changing Your Blog ThemeYou're Not Stuck: The Surprising Power Of Finally Changing Your Blog ThemeApr 20, 2026Hugh W. Roberts
The BattleFeb 14, 2019Hugh W. Roberts
79 Ways To Kill Your Blog79 Ways To Kill Your BlogAug 22, 2022Hugh W. Roberts
From Box Cameras to iPhone Cameras: Why Photography Plays an Important Part in BloggingFrom Box Cameras to iPhone Cameras: Why Photography Plays an Important Part in BloggingApr 13, 2026Hugh W. Roberts
SheepSheepMar 8, 2016Hugh W. Roberts

Copyright Protected Blog


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

COPYRIGHT ©2011-2031 Hugh’s Views And News BLOG – All Rights Reserved.

This work by Hugh W. Roberts, and/or Hugh’s Views And News blog, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material (text and images) without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. If you want to use posts, excerpts, photos and links, you may contact me first. You must give full and clear credit to Hugh W. Roberts and Hugh’s Views And News dot com with links to the original content.