by P D Platt
Solomon made an exaggerated bow. “Apologies, m’lady. I shall begin.” Solomon’s playfulness instantly morphed, changing to straight-faced seriousness. “We all have our strengths, and we all have value that we bring to this team…this family.”
He choked momentarily on his own sentiment before continuing. “After all that’s happened, and the remaining potential for things to go wrong, we need to arm ourselves with things beyond weapons. It’s important we build a sustainable future, and this can only happen if we increase our knowledge. We need information crucial to keeping us safe and fostering our skills. And”—he focused on the children—“this will give you kids an opportunity to have some fun as well.”
“What is it?” the children chimed.
“We’ll go to the library to get all the books we can find on first aid, agriculture, gardening, shortwave radio, solar energy, and anything on survival techniques.”
The kids stared at him with puzzled looks, not understanding most of his words.
“Let’s not forget the library has games and tons of fun books? Even music to listen to,” Solomon added.
Their eyes brightened. “Yay!”
“Great idea, Solomon,” Karen said. “It’s probably also the safest place on the planet—the one building no one would break into.”
The adults chuckled, recognizing the sad truth in her quip. The vote was unanimous; everyone agreed it was smart thinking. A temporary respite from the confines of the nursing home: the books and games would occupy the kids for hours while the adults stockpiled any reference materials necessary for their long-term survival.
They loaded into the big pickup and made the short trip across town to the county library. As anticipated, the doors and windows were still intact; no one had tried breaking in here. Wanting to keep the moisture and critters out, Solomon was reluctant to smash the glass on the front door. Instead, Skye used the crowbar and pried the door enough to pop the lock. Once inside, Solomon paused to inhale the smell of paper and ink, letting the calming odor soothe his soul.
They made a multitude of selections. On the practical side, the adults chose books that outlined rain collection systems, water purification methods, and the efficient use of solar energy for heating and pumping water. They piled on thick books teaching gardening in raised beds and greenhouses, even hydroponic and ecosystem farming. They grabbed how-to books on hunting and dressing wild game. Books that outlined vegetable canning and food preservation were also imperative.
The old ways were new again.
Of course, there were many books of alternate value—stories to occupy the mind and stimulate the imagination. Science fiction books, whose storylines didn’t seem so far from the life they were now trapped in, were a favorite of Solomon’s. Skye filled a cart with epic fantasy novels, proclaiming she’d finally have time to read series after series in their entirety. Kal chose adventure and thrillers, while Karen stuck to her list of classics she’d vowed to read once she fully retired.
With books available for every age group, the children had the most diverse choices: colorful page after colorful, textured page of discovery and adventure. They added DVDs, puzzles, and games to the rolling cart. Kal picked out age-appropriate books for teaching the children. The adults agreed the kids’ education must continue uninterrupted.
They returned to their new world survival fortress with their treasures. Their group had become a family, bonded by the commonality of the life stories they shared and the future they would face together. The mutual support offered an invaluable sense of security and confidence that was irreplaceable.
Now satisfied with their own self-sufficiency, they vowed to become a resource for other survivors. Kal declared he would assemble a shortwave radio station to broadcast messages and eventually be able to receive news and information from around the world.
The kids were particularly excited by their plan. “We’re going to be a rescue team,” Daveek proclaimed, wearing a smile as large as his face. “Yay!” The children all joined in, cheering and clapping.
And so, a semblance of routine crept in after a cruel and abrupt ending. Earth had been rebooted, and in time, there would be no demarcation of urban, suburban, or even rural areas. Borders and sovereign nations no longer existed as the planet inevitably reverted to its own flawlessly defined order and nature reclaimed its territory, exerting a severe and supreme dominance.
It was now their tribe’s crucible, to weave into the bitter fabric of this world’s new order as they staked a claim on a sustainable, civilized life. The decisions and actions of the remaining human race would define Earth’s future as people navigated their way through this post-apocalyptic world. There had to be hope for a rekindled life beyond the dismal situation that currently encompassed them. In time, humanity’s true essence and character would emerge.
One thing was evident—normal was yet to be defined.
-THE END-
(ALTERNATE ENDING/EPILOGUE)
Their routines settled, a controllable future was now imaginable. Each night, they went to sleep absent of the worries that had swarmed a few weeks prior. Shelter, food, water, security—all abounded. And they now had arguably the most precious survival commodities of all: family, compassion, and camaraderie. All these provided both the measurable and intangible comforts that now existed. Rest became easier each successive night.
As the group slumbered through the sultry night of a cloudy southern summer, all within their own levels of peace, a new threat emerged overhead in the vastness of a starless sky.
Curious lights energetically danced. Seeming to experiment with competing colors and intensities, they provided an unwitnessed display of epic proportions. A multitude of piercing dots alternately faded between glows of crimson and indigo before streaking below the thunderheads of a hanging cloud curtain. Abruptly, they halted in choreographed unison, forming a speckled belt stretching between the dark horizons of night. The lights dimmed to a delicate glow before eclipsing into silent darkness.
Tomorrow would bring a different world.
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