The dust formed a blanket and the plants on the land not hit by the waves died for lack of sunlight and moisture. People who survived the fires and tidal waves had choked to death or died of starvation. When the water finally subsided it exposed the islands, now bare, and left huge salt water lakes on the continents. It took months for the untouched countries on the other side of the planet to assess the destruction. One-third of the planet's former landmass was under water or covered by a dust mantle and half of the planet's population had died.
During that time the true horror of the catastrophe done by the asteroids was revealed. The bump occurred when the planet was in its equinox and that was how it stayed. The middle section or equator permanently faced the sun as it rotated. Over the next few years the hotter rays burned off the ozone layer at the equator. The sun shone with a brilliant white light and the land for long distances on both sides of the equator could no longer support life.
Great masses of people trekked north and south looking for a new place to live. Fences, patrolled by armed guards, were erected around the towns and cities in their paths but they were hungry and angry and could not be stopped. Thousands were killed as they swarmed through the towns and cities, looting stores for food and water and clothing, and setting fires. But when that was over there was still no place for them to go and no food for them to eat and hundreds of thousands starved to death before tent cities could be set up and meagre rations of food distributed.
Fear, and the knowledge that this may be their only chance, drove all the countries of the planet to join as one large Global Alliance. Leaders worked together looking into the best way to save their species. To the north and south, where the ozone layer was thicker, the weather was more temperate. The alliance decreed this land was to be used to grow grains, vegetables, and domesticated animals sufficient to feed the people of the new mega cities.
In what became known as the Great Change, twenty Megalopolises were built on huge sectors of arid land close to the farmland. They consisted of levels built into the ground and ones rising above ground. Once they were completed, all the people who weren't farmers were moved to the cities where they were given jobs and provided with rent-free apartments until they could afford to buy.
Most of the villages, towns, and cities were then demolished so the land could be turned into more farmland. Special forests were planted for the cultivation of medicinal plants as well as for the small percentage of air purification they provided. It took years for the farmers to kill the remaining plants and work the land for seeding. They went as high up the mountain sides as trees had been able to grow and claimed the edges of the deserts through irrigation. What was too rocky or had substandard soil was turned into feedlots or pasture for the animals. Any other species of animal not of direct benefit to the human race was exterminated.
Scientists developed new strains of grains and vegetables that grew faster and larger so that six crops could be planted in a year. Animals were fed growth hormones and were ready for market in half the normal time. Great fishing farms were set up in the oceans and lakes.
At the same time there were purges. The Leaders decreed that everyone must have a job. So began the Tech Purge. Technology that had been developed over hundreds of years, first to make life easier and then to increase company profits by eliminating the worker, was banned. Walled-in industrial parks were erected beside each Megalopolis and any company that wanted to move there had to convert back to people power. Soon, the equipment that had taken over assembly lines, the apparatuses that had mixed and built, the computers that had done the thinking were thrown into Tech Dumps. People ran the looms that made cloth, cutters cut the patterns, seamstresses made the garments. People were on the assembly lines, used pens to fill ledgers, made the bread.
When a walkway in the megalopolises had to be repaired, workers mixed the compound by hand and others carried it in buckets to the repair site. When walkways needed sweeping, sweepers armed with brooms were out in force. When a new level was to be built, construction workers mixed and poured and built the apartments. Everyone capable of working had a job and everyone earned enough to look after his or her needs. It was only where the lift and carry was too heavy or the distance of transport was too far, that limited machinery was used.
Some remnants, such as telephones for communication and television for in home entertainment, had been kept. Education, especially the subject of history, was encouraged.
During the Corruption Purge, it was decided that those who committed a crime were not to be tolerated. Anyone in the Megalopolises who committed murder or sold tobacco, the two worst crimes, was automatically jailed in the Orbital Prisons. These were old interplanetary ships that were no longer suitable for long distance flight. They hovered in space above the planet.
All first time convicted criminals of other crimes were sent to the Fringes, former cities left near the megalopolises, for five years. What they did there was of no concern to the justice system, but if they were caught back in the giant cities during their term, their sentences were doubled and they were sent to the Orbital Prisons.
Present life on the planet was good. The population was growing slowly; the food supply increasing. The one drawback, though, was the crime. It, too, was on the rise and they were running out of room to house their convicts in the Orbital Prisons.
* * *
I count the words. I have to pare my story down by ninety-one.
* * *
After lunch Sally headed back to the bed and breakfast. She walked slowly along the street wondering how she was going to do her assignment. She had no idea where to start her story. She hadn’t seen the movie and resented that the instructor would assume that everyone had.
"Kat Mac should have asked us first and then tailored the assignment to our answers," she muttered. "Or at least she should have told us to watch it before we came."
As she neared the bed and breakfast she saw that there were three RCMP cars parked in front of the demolished house and one officer was taping off the yard. She stopped and watched for a few minutes. When she’d left this morning a crew had already started to do a clean-up of the site. She wondered if they’d found something. There was no one else on the sidewalk and she doubted the officer would answer her questions so she headed into the bed and breakfast. Beverly would probably know.
"A mummified body was found under the partial basement," Beverly said.
"Oh, won’t Elizabeth be excited to hear this," Sally said, gleefully.
Beverly looked at her. "I know you said Ms. Oliver had solved murders but are you serious?"
Sally nodded. "It seems each time she strikes out to work on a travel article, she comes across a murder and she manages to solve it."
"Really? Is she a private detective?"
"Oh, no." Sally shook her head. "She’s strictly amateur. She just seems to have a knack for figuring out the clues."
Up in her room Sally opened a juice box then using the wireless Internet of the bed and breakfast, she looked up the movie Armageddon to see what she could learn. She found many different descriptions of the movie and sorted through the bits of information.
A huge asteroid is headed towards earth and will hit in eighteen days. Scientists decide that the only way to divert it is to blow it up. An oil well drilling crew is brought in to fly into space to drill a hole in the asteroid and insert a nuclear warhead. Of course, after many heart-stopping disasters, the crew completes the mission.
Sally leaned back in her chair. Her assignment was to figure out what would have happened to Earth if the crew had not been able to blow up the asteroid. This is where the science fiction comes in, she thought. And I have no idea where to begin.
She wondered if Bonnie and Daryl were hard at work in their rooms. Probably. Or maybe Bonnie was packing getting ready to leave. Sally got up and walked out of her bedroom and over to the balcony. The police were still at the place next door and a few people were on the street. She thought about
going down to the pool for a swim then changed her mind. She’d spent a lot of money to come to this retreat and she wanted to work as much as possible on it, or at least until Elizabeth got back.
Chapter 6
When Elizabeth returned to the bed and breakfast in mid-afternoon she saw the police cars and the yellow tape. Another crowd had gathered to watch. She stared at them a moment then, with an impish smile, she climbed out and went up to Alison and Rick who were part of the group.
"What happened?" she asked. "Did someone get hurt?"
"No, a mummified body was found under the dirt floor of the partial basement," Alison said. "The story is true. The woman was killed by her daughter."
“How did they find it? They are still removing the wood?”
“I guess one of the workers saw a hand or what was left of a hand sticking out of the dirt.”
"So where is the daughter now?" Elizabeth asked.
Rick shrugged. "No one seems to know. From what we heard she sold the place and moved away about ten years ago."
"Have the same people owned it since then?"
"Yes, but they live in Vancouver and have been renting it out."
At that moment a news van pulled up and a man with a microphone climbed out. A cameraman quickly followed and they looked for a place to film their story with the remains of the house behind them.
Elizabeth turned away. There really was no mystery. The body belonged to the missing mother and the police would probably be looking for the daughter. She got Chevy out of the Tracker and went to their room where she dumped her camera, laptop, and recorder on one of the chairs. She went out onto the balcony and could see that most of the floor had been ripped up. There was a pile of concrete and wood pushed to one side and police officers were bent over an area in one corner. Nothing to see, she thought as she re-entered the suite.
Sally came out of her bedroom. "So how was your research?"
"The village is a great place," Elizabeth said, getting a Pepsi from the fridge. "I spent all this time just walking around it looking at the shops and gathering information. We’ll have to go there when you get a chance. Plus, I want you to ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola with me."
"What’s that?"
Elizabeth filled her in then asked. "How did your day go?"
"Well, we have our first assignment and I have no idea how to do it." Sally flopped in the other chair.
"Sounds like being back in high school," Elizabeth grinned, popping the tab on her can. "What’s it about?"
"We have to change the ending of the movie Armageddon starring Bruce Willis."
"In what way?"
"The asteroid is supposed to hit the earth and we have to describe what happens to life as we know it in one thousand words or less."
"Sounds like fun," Elizabeth said dryly. "How much have you got done?"
"Two paragraphs." Sally stood. "But, I’m not going to spend another minute on it. I’m going to change into my bathing suit and head to the pool. Are you coming?"
"That sounds exactly like high school, too," Elizabeth laughed. "Sure, I’ll join you."
She went into her bedroom, changed into her swim suit, then grabbed Chevy’s leash. "We’re just going to the pool," she said, when he began to get excited. "We’ll go for a walk after supper."
On the way down to the pool, Sally told her about Bonnie and Daryl from the retreat also staying in the bed and breakfast. "They were the two single people who came down this morning for breakfast."
A tall hedge separated the pool area from the lot next door. Elizabeth put her towel on one of the lounge chairs and Chevy laid under it out of the sun.
"Did you hear about the body?" Sally asked, as she threw her towel on another chair.
"Yes." Elizabeth said, taking off her sandals.
"Are you sorry that there’s no mystery?"
Elizabeth shook her head as they sat on the edge of the pool. "I’ll admit that I have been thinking about it but at the same time I was really looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my research and then to having a holiday."
"Good," Sally reached down and sprayed Elizabeth with a handful of water. She lowered herself into the pool.
Elizabeth gasped at the coolness of the water then stood up and dove in. When she surfaced she saw a man staring over at Sally who was floating on her back. His expression bothered her. She wasn’t sure if he was mad or ogling her but his full concentration was on Sally. Elizabeth swam over and floated beside her.
"That Daryl you were talking about is staring at you," she whispered out the side of her mouth.
Sally opened her eyes and began to tread water. She glanced around. When she spotted him, she smiled and waved her hand. "Come on in," she called. "The water is perfect."
He stepped closer. “You should be working on your assignment.”
“Maybe I’m finished,” Sally said.
He seemed a little taken aback by that. He gave her a scowl and turned away walking back into the building.
"He wasn’t very friendly,” Elizabeth said. “What was that about?"
"Well, there are some of us who weren’t that enthused with the lecture today and he basically told us we shouldn’t be in the class."
"A bit serious, is he?"
"Very. And stuffy, too. But I wish I’d kept my mouth shut.”
“Why?”
“Because, now I have to get my new ending done for Armageddon.” Sally went back to her floating.
"Are all the students like him?" Elizabeth asked, slipping onto her back beside Sally.
"Some are, some are like me, and then there is Bonnie who thinks something bad is going to happen because there are thirteen students in the class."
"She’s superstitious?"
"Very. She says she might have to leave."
Elizabeth swam away and put in some laps in the short pool until she tired.
After their swim, they drove to the grocery store and bought a grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, and salad for their supper. They stored the leftovers in their fridge.
"Now, it’s time for a walk," Elizabeth said to Chevy. He immediately headed for the door. "Do you want to come with us?" she asked Sally.
"No, I’d better get back at my assignment. I don’t want to be the dunce of the class."
On her way out of the building, Elizabeth met Beverly. "Did you hear about the body?" Beverly asked.
Elizabeth nodded. "The rumours have proved to be true."
"Well, not exactly. According to the news this evening the body belongs to a young woman not an older lady."
"Oh?" Elizabeth said, and in that one word could feel her plans begin to fall apart.
* * *
Elizabeth was having a relaxing morning so Sally went down for breakfast on her own. She saw Bonnie sitting at a table. She helped herself to a coffee then went over.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Sally asked.
"Not at all," Bonnie smiled. "Where’s your friend?"
"Oh, Elizabeth is working on an article about Whistler and she can’t go to some of the places she wants to until they open, so she’s taking her time about coming down." Sally pulled out a chair and sat. So far they were the only ones in the dining room.
Beverly brought out the muffin and jam tray then went back for the breakfast plates.
"Do you still have a bad feeling about the course?"
"Yes, but I’ve checked my Angel cards and so far they haven’t advised me to leave."
"Angel cards?" Sally said, reaching for a muffin. "What are they?"
"They’re along the same idea as Tarot cards in that they tell me what to expect but the messages are from Angels. If I’m upset or confused or just want a little reassurance that my life is going as it should I ask them for their guidance. They tell me what the outcome will be so that I can relax and let it happen."
Beverly came in with breakfast. "Is Elizabeth off working on the mystery?" she asked as she set down their plates containing an omelette, English muff
in, and hash browns.
Sally grinned. "Oh, I’m sure she’s thinking about it but her article comes first. She’ll be down later for breakfast."
"So, where are you from?" Sally asked Bonnie, as she cut up her omelette. During introductions at the retreat, Bonnie have not given her last name nor her hometown.
"Well, that’s up in the air right now."
Sally raised her eyebrow, not sure what to say.
"My husband and I are still living in the same house together but we’re going through a nasty divorce. I’m not sure which of us will break down and move out first."
Sally noticed that she still hadn’t answered her question. She decided to leave it alone. After all, what difference did it make? She tried the hash browns. Delicious. This was a perfect meal.
"What’s this about your friend and mysteries?" Bonnie asked.
Sally waved her hand. "Elizabeth seems to have a knack for getting involved in finding murderers and since that body was discovered yesterday Beverly is wondering if Elizabeth is working on it."
Bonnie leaned forward. "How many murders has she figured out?"
"Four."
"Wow, that’s a lot."
"For an amateur it is," Sally agreed. She pushed her plate back. It was time to go.
"Do you want a ride?" Bonnie asked.
"Thank you, but no. I prefer walking and I’m taking a different route today so that I can see a bit of the area."
"Meet you there, then." Bonnie grabbed her case and left.
Sally went up to her room, retrieved her backpack, and headed out to the street. She turned left on Ambassador Crescent. She counted four more bed and breakfasts down this way. There were a number of people walking on the street ahead of her. She didn’t recognize any of them from her class so assumed they were taking one of the other courses offered. She looked at the houses as she passed them. There certainly was a variety, anywhere from small cabins to huge mansions. What she did note was that there were no sidewalks and that the bigger the house the better the landscaping although very few of the yards had any flowers or grass. Most of the front was taken up by paved driveways and the grass and weeds in those that were not paved were left to grow wild. Tall trees usually acted as fences between houses.
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