This is Albion
Oddly, this was another that arose out of criticism. Albion is over-used. It's a great name for an alternate Britain where the name never died, it inspires thoughts of Arthur and a mystical era of druids and myths and superstitions. When I first came across the name I loved it, I vowed to use it, I would have an alternate England, of mysticism and wonder, and it would be Albion.
And everyone else had the same idea.
It's like writing about an alternate history where Germany won the war.
So I took the name and made it science fiction. Took the legends and thrust them into the future. I get to use the name Albion without it just being another England, but I keep that superstitious edge. 'One hundred and one days' is such a fairytale length of time, possibly a step back from 'a year and a day' but that extra day makes a journey a quest, a quest an adventure, an adventure - epic. Actually I think if I reworked this, it would be a year and a day... (I'm tempted to go edit it right now...)
This is George and the Dragon. This is Arthurian legend where the lady in the lake is an alien race, thrusting gleaming technology forth from the darkening depths of their own extinction. This is science fiction. This is Albion.
(so the blurb would say... maybe ;) )
It's also one of the longer pieces so far, and I can see the wisdom in 365tomorrows keeping all their stories beneath 600 words. It's a good length for an internet attention span. I considered breaking this down into two parts, and it would certainly be possible with a little work. But doesn't that strike you as odd? Two parts at less than a thousand words each? Maybe nowadays, but I think it will become less odd as we become more used to micro-fiction... flash fiction... short shorts... whatever you want to call them.
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