Dear Future Civilization:
Ember again.
Mom held on through the night. There were several times when I worried I had finally lost her, but, true to my father's instructions, she stayed strong. My friend, not so much. She had contracted one of the faster, more fatal diseases, and didn't make it to this morning. I left her in bed, tucked in safe and cozy under the covers, as if she were still just sleeping.
Today I made my mother company, although she didn't acknowledge me once. We listened to the news on the radio. I ate corn from a can. The riots are getting worse. People from all over the country stormed the White House, blaming the president for global warming bringing unusual weather patterns, illegal immigrants bringing sickness, and who knows what else. The entire world is chaotic. There have been more shootings and bombings than I can count.
The rain has stopped and it's unsettling knowing it's only the calm before the storm. The real storm. I am doing all I can to distract myself from thoughts of tomorrow. Tomorrow, it won't matter that my mom made it this far. Tomorrow, it won't matter that I passed that chemistry test. Tomorrow, it won't matter how many friends I had, how well I did in school, how good I was at sports. After tomorrow, nothing will matter. We will all disappear and this is the only memory anyone will have of us... If it survives whatever's coming.
Tomorrow terrifies me. I know I won't be able to sleep tonight. Just thinking about all the possibilities makes me want to scream or cry or puke.
I call to my cat and she crawls out from under the bed to join me. You know things are bad when a cat actually obeys an order the first time. All three of us curl up together: my mom, my cat, and me. A single flash of lightning bursts outside the window and I squeeze my eyes shut, totally unprepared for what's coming.
Tomorrow will probably be terrible. I probably won't make it. These pages probably won't make it. But if they do, please read them and heed them. Don't make the mistakes we did. Don't wait until it's too late.
The light will soon be extinguished, but hopefully you can reignite it. The future was in our hands, but we didn't take good care of it. Soon, it will be your turn.
This is Ember, just a small piece of coal in the dying fire that is Earth.
Goodbye and goodnight.
YOU ARE READING
The Dying Ember
Short StoryDear Future Civilization: My name is Ember. This is my journal. I only have a few days left, but if you find this, read it and pay attention to our mistakes. Hopefully you can buy yourselves a few more days than we had.
