Connections

"We're going to have to make some hard choices," Prime Minister Wainwright offered.

"I know," her new Survivalist Minister nodded.

"Do we have any idea how we are going to decide?" Wainwright asked her team.

Around the table, she saw blank faces, some lowered, not meeting her eyes. Leadership was really quite tiring. Looked like it was going to be left to her.

"Right," she said. "Well, we're running out of time and we only have so many places in bunkers." Annoyed with her team's response, she added, "And none of them are a given because of position."

Heads raised in shock. Ah, she thought. That's got your attention.

"Have some dinner and come back with ideas. Meet here in 3o minutes."

As they left, she sat down in her chair heavily, and rubbed her hand across her eyes. The end of the world is nigh - no longer a cliché. For some people, this would be their last seven days on Earth before a noxious gas cloud, an anomaly from space, would descend on the planet. Scientists had analysed its content and predicted that it would dissipate in 6-9 months, all being well. Bunkers were being built round the clock but there was only room for a core group of individuals.

How to decide who was worthy?

Her head ached with the enormity of it. A limp sandwich awaited her but her stomach rebelled despite needing to increase her flagging energy levels.

A distraction.

She picked up her phone, almost put it down. It would be littered with demands, pleas. Then she remembered - a games app.

She found her favourite "Connections" game. 16 squares, each containing one word. 4 groups of 4 words to be found, each word connected to the next in that group. Some of them obscure.

Today's puzzle? Easy. The creator was obviously in the same mind frame as her - bleak.

It came to her - an epiphany. She would release an edict that all adults would do the puzzles over the next six days, and those with the best stats would get in.

When the world reopened, they would need great thinkers.

She just hoped she'd make the cut.

***

366 words

Inspired by a comment made by my friend, Erin with whom I share the results of my "Connections" game with every day, a connection across the miles that separate us:

Do you ever wonder if at the end of the world the government will use connections stats to decide who goes in the bunkers?

A sobering thought indeed and I have increased my effort today, just in case.

Here's a screen shot of today's game so that you know what I'm on about.

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please leave a comment as I love to interact with my readers.

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