She quickly rose to her feet and dusted off the straw. The small bits
clung around the hem and stitching but she truly paid it no mind. If anything
it added to the country simplicity of the dress. Her hair hung in a loose braid
to the side; a simple white ribbon wound throughout and on her feet she wore
nothing but a small ring on her toe. She had run barefoot most of her life much
to the disdain of her Mother. She figured why start wearing them now all things
considered. She opted for no make-up with the exception for a small amount of
rouge on her cheeks which she had borrowed from her Mother's vanity table. She
wouldn't miss it and even if she did it wouldn't really matter after tonight.
She took the stairs down from the loft 3 at a time as her heart raced
inside of her chest. The rouge on her cheeks was quickly being overshadowed by
the natural hue of blood pumping just under the skin. The smell of the barn was
all around her now; old hay and sawdust dominated the air but subtle tones
seeped through. Rain and pine. Smoke and ash. She knew that the barn had
burned partially when she was barely old enough to walk and while she was too
young to remember the fire itself she would never truly forget the panicked
noises the animals made while trying to flee or the smell of charred wood that
hung around the house and yard for days afterwards.
She pushed the memory out of head. Thomas was her focus now.
It would be him and only him. They shared a connection that only
two young people in love can truly achieve. They had never known the
pleasures of the flesh, but just before Thomas had left early that summer, they
shared a kiss that would solidify his place in her heart for the rest of her
life. A moment so perfect and innocent that it seemed to freeze time.
A moment that stopped the June Bugs from clicking and brought every
firefly in the valley out to light their way home.
Thomas pushed through the last row of wheat and paused to wipe the chaff
from his face. He pulled a small handkerchief from his pack pocket and
absentmindedly wiped at his brow. The humidity this time of year clung to
everything. It made the air heavy and thick and any form of physical activity;
even something as simple as walking, became a chore in itself. But if Thomas
was upset about the heat, all resemblance of annoyance melted from his face
when he saw Suzanne waiting by the old barn door.
The sunlight was at a level where it started to cast shadows across the
land. Soft light drifted through the slats of the barn and trickled across the
beams of the roof and down onto the floor making every corner of the old place
seem to breath for just a brief time. At one point, the light caught the edge
of an old stained glass sun catcher tucked off to the side of the
door. A million colours suddenly lashed out in all directions. Reds and blues
shone in her hair as orange and purple trickled across her brow and cheeks. It
gave her an ethereal quality; a glow like one would find streaming
off of the Fae Folks had they really existed. The Fae were known to grant
wishes in stories and if there were ever a story that needed a wish...it was
this one. But Thomas knew that no amount of wishing would change the course of
the evening. He took an extra moment to drink the scene in before he closed the
last few steps between the two of them.
As is the case with many young lovers, the first few moments were
awkward. Eye contact seemed difficult and blush-filled grins were all but
impossible. There was an unspoken electricity in the air around them. They could
feel the hair on their necks and arms raise ever so slightly. But whether it
was their impending connection generating this pulse or the planet sending out
early warning signs that something wasn't quite right, it truly didn't matter.
Thomas's gaze left his feet and he breathed deeply before looking at her
directly. She met his gaze equally and the smile faded from her lips. Thomas
looked deeply saddened and it broke her heart to see him like this if even for
only a moment.
"Thomas, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"
Tears had begun to well up round his eyes. He fought to keep them in. He
refused to cry in front of her. How was he supposed to tell this
beautiful creature standing in front of him that he was terrified? How was he
supposed tell her that he didn't want to die tonight? He was supposed to be the
strong one. He was supposed to be able to protect her. He was raised to believe
that if you truly love someone, you fight with everything thing you have to
keep them safe...no matter what the cost. But what if what you were trying to
accomplish wasn't humanly possible? Thomas didn't have a hope in Hell of
keeping her safe. There was nowhere to run. Hiding wouldn't buy them
any time either. All they could do was wait it out. Wait for the inevitable
to happen. So Thomas did the only thing that was still within his control.
Thomas lied. He lied with every ounce of his being in the hopes that
she would believe him.
"I'm not upset Suzanne. I'm just so happy to see you again. It's
just been so crazy these last few weeks....I was afraid I may not get back to
you in time. I'm just really glad I did."
He hugged her quickly and tight so that she couldn't see the tears
streaming down his face. Thomas thought to himself that this was when his
childhood officially ended. In this exact moment when he lied to this girl in
an act of pure love. 'Protect the girl' he thought. 'Even if you have to die a
liar. I'll be judged for my entire story on the day of reckoning. Not just for
this single chapter.'
They let each other go and stood quietly just holding each other's hands
for a few extra moments. The sun was just kissing the horizon goodnight and the
land was a deep amber hue with the first batch of stars poking through the
black canvass. Tonight though, the stars looked different....off almost. Their
colors seemed to bleed across the sky and if one were to look long and hard
enough, one might swear that they were pulsing in unison. Painfully slow at
first, but picking up speed at a rate that the naked eye would probably not be
able to detect unaided. The universe was unwell and the poor dust mites known
as the Human Race would soon come to know just how ill it truly was.
"I like your dress Suzanne. It's beautiful! But...how did you ever
find the money to pay for it?" Thomas asked.
"It's Mama's" she said. "I had a chance to hem it a
little before tonight. I knew she wouldn't miss it 'cause it 's been tucked in
the back of her closet since she and Daddy got married."
"I couldn't get a suit. Not...not on such short notice that is. But
I wore my Sunday shirt and pants. I hope that's ok?"
"Course it is." she said. "Doesn't matter what
you're wearing as long as you're here. C'mon. It'll be time soon. We
should get started."
__________________________________________________________________________
It hadn't seemed that long ago that Suzanne had made up her mind to
leave. She was 18 after all and no amount of praying would ever change
the fact that her days on Earth were numbered. Double digits if they had
counted right....single if they hadn't. She had been preparing for this
night for the last several weeks now. Ever since the men and women on TV;
the ones who used fancy terms like catastrophic and planet killer, began
theorizing about what would happen.
For the most part, she largely ignored it. She didn't watch much TV and was kept busy most of the time with chores around the farm and errands
around town. But after a week or so she began noticing things around town
that seemed out of the ordinary. People that she had known her entire life
were packing up and moving away without as much as a goodbye. The town itself
seemed smaller each time she went into it. Not just because of the lack of
people, but the entire feeling in the town had changed. People hurried past one
another without making eye contact unless for the briefest of moments. Children
no longer played in the park near the Post Office. Even the other teens
had stopped hanging out around McGillicutty's creek after school. The town was
becoming smaller and Suzanne was beginning to get worried. She wanted to
call Thomas. To talk about life in general but mainly to ask him how things
were where he was. But he was out of town for the summer working on his
Uncle's farm.
One evening, while she was finishing up the dishes; as it was
her night to do so, her Father quietly called her into the family room.
From the tone in his voice, she knew something wasn't quite right. Her Father was sitting in his favourite chair as expected. Her
Mother and little brother sat closely on the couch. Her Mom was squeezing
her brother tightly and she could tell that she had been crying. The television
was glowing softly in the background and although the sound was off, she could
read the headlines and tickers flowing across the bottom of the screen. They
all essentially said the same thing; Planet Fall. This was not a term she was
familiar with but as she gazed at the images flickering across at breakneck
speeds she could tell it wasn't good. Rioting in the streets, fires burning
uncontrollably in major metropolitan cities and swarms of the faithful praying
en mass to their respective deity. Some people were openly weeping while some
walked across the camera's path with dazed grins permanently etched across
their mouths.
"Suzanne!" her Father's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Pay attention please!"
"Sorry Papa. I was just watching what was going on on the news.
What's happening?!"
"Sit down darlin'. We need to talk."
Suzanne quietly moved to the couch beside her Mother and folded her hands in her lap. She looked up at her Father while her Mother gently stroked her hair. Her Father paced for a moment before opting to sit on the edge of his favourite chair across from them. He searched for the right words....failed.....and then took up the quest once again. He slowly began, weighing each word carefully.
"Something's happened. Well, more like is going to happen. It's hard to
explain....truth is, I'm not sure if I could even if I was smart enough
to."
He paused for a few more moments. Just when Suzanne thought he may not
go on he cleared his throat and continued.
"Somewhere deep in space, a planet that none of us have heard of
before died long before any of us even breathed our first breath on this rock.
This planet died and because of where it was, or how close it was to other
planets or whatever the case, it cause more 'explosions' and more planets died.
Now, all these planets exploding released massive amounts of energy. Wave after
wave of energy."
"What does that have to do with us Papa? Why is Momma crying?"
"Hush child. I'm getting there. Now, the people you see on T.V.;
the scientists and whatnot have been watching this energy for quite some time.
Over the last few years, they began to realize that this energy.....this wave
was moving in the direction of our planet....gobbling up smaller planets and
moons in its way. Well, not so much gobbling as dissolving them. Making them
just disappear out of existence. These scientists tried to come up with
different ways to stop this wave, or redirect it so that Earth would be safe.
But even the smartest people on the planet don't always have all the answers.
Man wasn't made to understand everything in the Universe. Sometimes the
Universe just decides to set things right....in its opinion. So here we are.
The day will be soon upon us when things just stop being. Can't outrun it.
Can't hide from it. Just have to wait until it happens."
And with that, Suzanne's Father stood up and walked out of the room, through
the kitchen and out into the yard. He sat silently crying on the porch.
Although it was out of his control, he felt like he had failed as a Husband, as
a Father and as a Man. But how does an ant protect the colony from the shoe of
a child? Something's are outside of our control. This was one of those things.
The days crept along slowly after that night. Chores seemed pointless
and life around the farm became somewhat of a still-life painting with images
and people and animals all blending in to the background. Suzanne's parents
became withdrawn and spent most of their time flipping through old photo
albums. Her brother locked himself away in his room blasting angry music on his
stereo. In a house full of people, she had never felt more alone. At night, she
could hear her parents making love through the thin walls that separated their
rooms and while it disturbed her to know her parents did such things, it was
her Mother's soft weeping after the act that kept her awake most nights.
The news was keeping a countdown clock up on the screen day in and day
out. At last estimate, there was just over a week left before the wave would
overtake the planet and snuff out all matter. The big
blue marble would simply cease to exist. All of our history, our innovation and
our future opportunities would be vaporized without prejudice or a
second glance. Suzanne still had trouble fathoming what was coming. How could a
18 year old possibly hope to understand these things when she barely knew what the
next town outside of this one looked like. She had to get a hold of Thomas. If she was
only going have a week left on this planet, she would spend it with him. A few
desperate phone calls and a lot of whispered prayers later...and he was on his
way home.
__________________________________________________________________________
"Did you bring the book?" Suzanne asked. "Were you able
to find the right words?"
"I got it. It took some time to find the page, but I think this
should work well." Thomas replied.
The sun was all but gone below the hills and darkness had come to the
farm. Suzanne worked quickly to light a few of the candles around the barn
before it was too dark to see. The flames danced lazily and cast long, twisted
shadows across the walls. Under normal circumstances, the barn might seem eerie
and off putting but tonight, it was filled with a sense of anticipation.
Both occupants knew that life would be fundamentally different tonight
regardless of the outcome of the next few minutes.
Thomas brushed off the little table and set one of the candles down so
he could see the text. The Bible was old and weathered. The cover had been bent
and folded and bruised a countless number of times by a countless number of his
relatives. This had been the family's book. It was special and was only to be
used in special situations. Thomas couldn't think of anything more special than
this. The book mark that held his place had once been a deep, vibrant red. The
kind only seen in rare books or expensive linens. Time and use had reduced it
to little more than a fine series of blush threads. Thomas couldn't help but
turn his thoughts to the impending wave. He wondered if his body would be
stripped away thread by thread; much like the way this book mark had been. In
reality, it really wouldn't matter because unlike the book mark and the book it
was attached to, there would be nothing left to compare and no one left to do
the comparing. Thomas pushed ahead and began to read.
"1 Corinthians
13:4-13 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or
boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not
irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but...." Thomas
trailed off.
"What is it? Go on Thomas....I like that
passage." Suzanne said.
"It just doesn't seem right. I mean...that's
not right. I mean that THIS; right here and right now is so very right! But
this passage doesn't do it justice. Not with everything about to change."
Thomas furled his brow in frustration. Suzanne moved closer to him and gently
took the book from his fingers. She quickly flipped through the worn pages; her
eyes darting across the words, straining in the candlelight. Suddenly her face
lightened and her eyes slowed.
"This one. This is the one I want you to
read."
She handed the book back to Thomas who accepted it
with a tiny smile on his face. As always, she amazed him. Even at the end of
the world, she could still find time to make him smile. Thomas cleared his
throat and began again.
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The Lord do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me."
He looked up from the pages and met her eyes. For a moment, neither one of them said anything. Thomas reached into his pocket and gently pulled out the ring. It was a thing of great beauty for it was hand crafted and etched with the precision of skilled hands much older than the maker they belonged to. A simple wooden ring that had started as a branch from an ancient oak down by the creek. It had taken Thomas weeks to whittle, shape, smooth and carve out the perfect shape. The carvings snaked in and out of the band with immaculate accuracy and running deeper around the outer edge of the band was a fine ring of silver which Thomas had melted down and painstakingly poured into the ridges. The ring would be overlooked by the wealthy but coveted by the paupers had the opportunity arose, as it truly was a labour of love. He took her hand and dropped to one knee. The ring slid effortlessly over her finger and held true. She pulled him gently to his feet and then whispered into his ear
"I do."
_________________________________________________________________________________
An unnatural quiet had fallen over the farm. The animals were no longer rustling in their stalls, the insects had ceased their incessant chirping and the wind had all but died away. The night was silent save the heartbeat of two young lovers tucked away in the loft of an old red-sided barn. Their breathing in unison, their bodies entangled in a flurry of sheets and hay and careless abandon. The candles burned low now and the wax had wept all across the table and floor. They whispered soft, hollow promises to one another. They talked about children, and travelling and growing old together. They made plans for a big pancake breakfast the next morning with fresh orange juice and strawberries from the fields out back. They lay with one another late into the darkness and kept watch of the night sky through a hole in the barn's roof. As the conversation slid deeper into broken words and sleep laden fragments, the stars around them begin to blink out. Suzanne was none the wiser, sleep claiming her long before Thomas.
The first pulse washed over the farm in a flash of cold blue light. The
trees rustled but no more so than if a strong breeze had made its presence
known. Thomas prayed quietly that she would not wake up, that
she wouldn't see the end. Whatever divine presence was still left on
the Godforsaken world, it must have taken notice. The second and third pulse
hit in tandem and so close to one another that Thomas almost thought they were
the same one. With each pulse, there came a soft hum as it passed over. As the
pulses came more frequently and faster, the hum grew louder
and didn't fade away. The hum seemed to be everywhere and Thomas
noticed that he could feel it in his toes. It was a mild tingling sensation
that could be likened to pins and needles, but not the kind that one would find
unpleasant.
The waves were now indiscernible and all bled into one
another. Thomas lay beside Suzanne as the numbness slowly climbed across his
naked frame. He imagined that if he were to pull the blankets back that he
would no longer see his toes, feet and much of his legs. It was better to keep
the blanket in place lest he panic, and that would serve no purpose in the long
run. He stared at Suzanne breathing gently in the darkness beside him. He
looked over the curve of her face and the way her hair fell softly across her
neck. The girl, who became his love and then became his wife would never truly
know how much he loved her.
The tingling intensified and moved more rapidly across his body. Thomas
noticed the sheet losing form as the body that it kept covered lost its
corporeal form. He began to breath quicker as he fought to maintain his
composure. He had begun to cry now; silently as he refused to allow her
to wake to this nightmare. What was waiting for him on the other side of the
veil? Solace? Peace or emptiness. Whatever the universe held in store for the
poor inhabitants of this world, Thomas knew that he would not go gentle into
that dark night....and he would not go alone.
Suzanne stirred beside him and in one panicked moment he feared she
would snap awake and scream until there was no longer a mouth for her to scream
with. He lifted his hand and hovered just over her mouth. He would make it
quick if it came to that, to spare her the horror of the alternative. But
instead, she nestled closer into his neck and quietly whispered
"It's cold Thomas." The buzz filled his ears and rattled his
teeth. Thomas took a deep final breath and then the world went dark. And with
that, the species known as the human race; a species so young in its infancy,
so full of promise and opportunity and misgivings blinked out of existence. As
quickly as they had passed over the planet, the waves now floated silently into
the vast expanses of space leaving only emptiness in its wake.
But the Universe has a funny way of acting as a great equalizer. Planets
and Solar Systems and Civilizations are created and destroyed in a blink of an
eye with neither regard or bias or worry and the Earth is no exception to the
rules that govern the Universe. As Stephen Hawking once said "We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."
While love may not always conquer all, it does have
a way of being down-right stubborn until it gets what it wants. And the story
of Thomas and Suzanne is if nothing else an exercise in love. Who are we to
truly say that we understand all that the Universe is and all that it has to
offer? For in the end, it is not our Science or our Religion that will right
the wrongs. It is the simple love between two people that will defy the cosmos
and will make the Universe realize the error of its ways.
......And the Voice whispered "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." And in the quiet void that followed,
Suzanne and Thomas opened their new eyes.......and smiled.
