The evening of 18th October 2035. A peaceful evening. Stars had illuminated the skies above. Times were peaceful. And I was sitting in my front yard, rocking back and forth on my new rocking chair. It felt like the best purchase I had made in my entire life. There was a book in my hand, though it did not have my attention. My attention was on the girl walking by my house. I put down the book as I called out to her. She turned my way. I asked where she was going. To exchange paper for sustenance, she replied. She had the humor of a scientist who hadn’t seen the sunlight in a decade. I walked with her towards the store. It was a cool night and we both realized it when we walked into the store, heated up with all the people and machines and beeping noises. I quietly followed her down the aisles as she picked out groceries for her basket.
As we were coming back from the shop, she stopped at a fork in the road. I stopped as well. Our houses were on the right. But she went to the left. I asked her why she was going left. She said she didn’t want to go home just yet. We went up to the river bank. Frogs croaked their nightly song accompanied by the fireworks of the firefly. It felt like the inside of an artist’s mind. A soft breeze made the entire scene even more relaxing. We walked to the mid-way of the sloped bank. She sat down, the bag of groceries on one side. Me, on the other. She looked up at the stars. Shining and twinkling.
“Do you think mankind will be able to live among the stars?” she asked. I followed her gaze to the stars but did not answer. This was one of those questions no one ever answers, only asks.
We returned to my home. She wanted to play some board games. I obliged. I opened the counter above my table and brought out the old box of board games. We played for a long time. It was around 11pm when she got a call. It was doctor Brand. She spoke to him for a while before motioning me to turn on the television. I did. All the news channels had only one headline.
“Massive Carrington class Solar flare from Sun to destroy mankind.” She told me to go to channel 7. Around 10-15 minutes later we saw Dr.Brand himself joining by a video call from his lab. He confirmed that the coronal mass ejection will wipe out all life on Earth. It will be the end of life. Both of us were shocked to our core.
“Tomorrow's sunrise will be the last for mankind.” He ended. She turned off the TV. I sat down on the couch. Silenced followed. Perhaps, the entire neighborhood. I couldn’t even hear the regular sounds of family laughter or dish in the sink with the water running on them. Everything was at a standstill.
It was almost an hour after the announcement that we started talking. She said that since this our last night, let us enjoy. She didn’t wait for my response. She went outside and started shouting the names of anyone she could bring to mind from our area. One by one, people started to come out. And judging by their looks, she was not the only one who wanted to enjoy. Some families drove off saying they want to enjoy the free air. Some people proposed in front of everyone. Everyone applauded. People started walking towards restaurants and shops. Everyone was celebrating.
She took my hand and we walked into the main part of our small town. It felt like new year’s. Everyone was out on the streets, enjoying themselves. Talking, playing, eating. The only few restaurants that we had, had started to give out their remaining food to the people that were out on the streets. Despite the impending doom and the warning that this our last night alive, people found joy and happiness. Humanity had embraced its end. We sat down in front of her favorite restaurant. A waiter came up and said that the tastiest dish is coming for us and left. No cost, no headache.
Humans, when they were at their lowest, walked like they were at their highest.
It was around 4 in the morning when we started for our home. When we reached the same fork at the road, she again chose left. This time, pulling my hand with her. We reached the river. She went on to lay down at the same spot we were sitting earlier. I laid down with her. Both of us had our eyes fixed at the stars. Their brilliant shine had already started to fade in the early morning glow. Someone had managed to get their hands on some fireworks. There were 2-3 very big explosions. And then, all of a sudden, everything went quiet again. The same silence that had haunted us moments after the announcements. Maybe people wanted some peace and quiet before the big event. It was almost time. The radiating lights of the Sun had started to spill over the horizon. My mind, for a second, tried to imagine the earth after the flare would have hit the earth. But I couldn’t. It was too much to think. I tried to focus on the dimming stars.
“If I ever get the chance to live among the stars, would you live with me?” I asked.
“I would prefer that,” she answered. Her gaze, unwavering.
Together, we waited...
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Bangladesh • 22 years old