Starfall

Robert awoke to the smell of burning flesh, fortunately not his own, and gradually rose to a sitting position. He felt the left side of the bed and realized Michelle had risen before him and was cooking breakfast. “Mickie, what time do the kids need to be picked up after school today ?” The sound of the blender drowned out her response. “Damn I hate technology ! I wish we were back in the 30’s.” After showering Rob put on his clothes and walked towards the kitchen, the day seemed full of promise.

“Did you say something Bob ?” Michelle asked. “Yes, I did. What time do the kids need to be picked up after school ?” “Well Elohim has All-City Choir and Dion has Little League today so they should be ready around five.” “By the way, I think Dion wants you to take him down to the mall and get a new joystick for his video games.” Robert muttered something unintelligible then said. “I swear they come out with new gadgets for kids today faster then the banks can print money.” After eating his breakfast Robert washed the dishes, thanked his wife for the meal, wished her a good day, and left for work.

Just as he placed the car key in the ignition a comet-like streak caught his attention at the horizon. Robert paused to look at the rapidly moving point of light, “You don’t see that every day!” he pondered. Even as he started narrowing down what was causing the phenomena another trail entered his sight. “Will wonders never cease...” His next thought was cut off even as his synapse fired, it wasn’t a quirk of his nervous system nor a brain aneurysm, indeed the fault lay with the disintegration of his entire upper body.

This is a rather uncommon experience and would hardly be credible to his neighbors, if they and a large portion of the surrounding city hadn’t likewise been dispatched, far beyond caring to criticize. The cause of all this sudden evaporation of matter was the combined and overlapping force of two nuclear warheads: one 67 kiloton ground-burst at a distance of 9 miles (which left the most beautiful multi-colored cloud); and an air-burst of equal magnitude 3,500 feet above poor Robert’s head.

Bobby regained consciousness to the sound of his mother calling his name. “Dear, are you ok, you woke up with a start, did you have that dream again?” He knew it was the same dream he’d had seven times in the last three months he could feel the sweat soaking the back of his p.j.’s sticking to his skin like gauze. “No Mom, I dreamed I was falling, but I’m all right.” His mother sighed with relief and prompted him to get ready for school.

While riding on the bus Bobby joked with his buddies about the new girl in school “Mickey the Rat, how’d you get so fat? By eating Ice Cream and Banana Malts!” This was the preferred taunt of this week and was deliciously effective. As he got off the bus stepping to the curb Bobby thought about his dreams, he enjoyed them but lately he had been having extraordinarily vivid dreams that he didn’t like at all. He was not even sure what it was in them he was so afraid of, he always woke up before he could discover the secret.

In the dreams he awoke like any other day and got ready to leave the house then he ran out and got on the bus. None of this bothered him but once on the bus the other kids looked at him strangely, they were all his friends but they wore scared expressions. He walked to the back of the bus feeling like he was pushing through molasses. No one talked to him and he couldn’t understand why. He was about to ask when a girl in the front pointed out the window and everyone turned and looked, white comets sailed across the mourning sky ,a roaring sound filled his ears ,drowning thought and he would wake fearfully alert and trembling.

His attention returned to his teacher who was talking to the class informing them of the importance of the ‘new math’. How it opens whole new realms of discovery for American scientists and those inventive men down at NASA. Bobby didn’t think much of the ‘new’ math after all he was just getting a handle on the ‘old’ math, why did they always come up with new things to learn...Bobby’s train of thought was cut off by the wailing of the air-raid siren, yet another drill, or the real thing?

“Duck and cover!” Miss Bombeck cried! “Everyone under your chairs, with a sheet of paper over your heads!” All the students immediately obeyed, with eyes wide with fear, their actions mechanical from rehearsal, hearts beating rapidly in their chests as they waited to see. After a few minutes went by the all-clear siren rang out and the children returned to their seats, the girls asking each other “Are you ok?” While 8 joked nervously about their fearlessness and teased those among them who had dared to show their terror. “Now who can tell me why we all duck and cover when we hear the air raid siren?” the teacher queried. Bobby raised his hand and...

“Till death do you part?” asked Reverend Blavatsky. “I do” replied Robert. There it was done, after four years of dating Michelle was finally his wife she looked healthy and vigorous in her flowing dress, the light shining from her eyes like the first day he’d had the courage to ask her out. Robert didn’t think he could possibly be happier.

The cries for help went on and on, then dropped to a barely audible whisper, interspersed with sobs. “Shhh Elohim, it’s all right Dion, it’s only the thunder that comes after lightning.” Robert thought of his childhood dreams and it made him feel that much closer to his children.

When he returned from their bedroom Michelle asked, “How are the kids doing, babe?” “They’re fine I quieted them down and tucked ‘em back in, now move over so I can get some warmth. Ahh, that’s better, having children is like a piece of immortality we can lean over and touch. I see more of you in Elohim each day, Mickie.” “Yeah, they’re great but I think they both have more of you in their personalities.” replied Michelle. “I seem to remember you taking part in it too, remember, it went something like this !” “Bob stop it the kids will hear us, heh-heh damn you, mhmmm!”

Again and again, or was it just once, Robert flashed through the cycle of patchwork images that was his life. But something was missing, what was it?

He struggled to remember, to think, to be.

What?

In a flash he thought, ”The ending, what happened at the ending?”

Robert never knew!
I can’t tell him.
Will you?