Change has begun
By: L.F. Young
17 January 2024
*trigger warning: none
*not my picture
Part one
Snow in July
Probably a Tuesday
Sunset was taking a firm hold on the residence of Bleeker Street. Homeowner’s were starting to park their electric cars in well manicured lawns. Neighbors gave a heartfelt shout, wishing each other a welcoming how do you do and to have a safe afternoon. The local dogs were letting it be known to any and all would be thieves, that this was their neighborhood and to say out with deep hardy barks. While pesky cats gathered in droves, to serenade any and all with their high pitched meows. Whether these neighbors wanted it or not.
It was just an average evening, people doing people things, pets being pets as the day slowly gave up to the dawning of a full moon,signaling the beginnings of its slumbering time. As blinds, shades and curtains were brought together. Signaling the end to another warm, bright, beautiful blissful bountiful day. Bellies were stuffed, fathers and mothers entertained themselves with wine and smoke. As children brushed their teeth, washed their hands and readily slipped their tired bodies under warm and inviting sheets, as sleepy heads gently rested on recently fluffed pillows.
Life was good, if you lived on Bleeker Street. Families were close to each other, children did their best to mind their parents and parents that worked maintained better than average jobs. Yes, life was very good on Bleeker street. It would be the last peaceful evening any of them would ever know, as the small unobtrusive rock slipped past the full moons eye. Also slipping past NASA’S meteorological warning systems, it would be too late to do anything as the little asteroid, only ten foot around from another galaxy could be stopped.
It was too late by the time alarms were sounded for those switching shifts could even notify their bosses of what was coming. The small but densely packed little meteor wished everyone on this strange new world a wonderful, blissful and exciting night. As its outer one third layer was quickly burning off, giving the surviving minerals a chance to mix and mingle with earths lower atmosphere.
The core of the little asteroid gave a hearty cry that nobody would ever hear, as it plunged into the still waters of the quiet gated sleeping neighborhood. Coming to a gentle rest at the bottom of the parks small pond, right next to the monkey bars where a nervous Timmy was waiting for the girl of his dreams to show up. Where he would ask her out to the high school senior dance, and to be his girlfriend as well.
Tiffany closed her second story bedroom window as quietly as she could, even though the aged wooden window creaked ever so slightly. A silent chill ran up and down her eighteen year old spine, as a quick prayer was sent to the gods of old. “Nobody heard that,” softly said Tiffany as she did her best to navigate down the rose hedge that grew up the side of her home. “Please, oh please say that no one heard that creak? Timmy is expecting me to meet him at the monkey bars at the park. I’m so late, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already gone.”
Tiffany’s heart was beating a mile a minute as she rounded the corner and saw the opened gate to the private park. The residence of Bekkers Street had spent the whole last summer raising the necessary funds. To remodel the one hundred year old park. Each family donated a small amount to the park’s remodeling fund, but the bulk of the money came from the neighborhood kids doing car washes, lemonade stand’s and chocolate bars sells throughout the summer time. It had taken the better part of the whole summer and most of the fall to raise the necessary amount that was required.
Timmy’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Tiffany’s face round the old sycamore tree, a chill ran down his spine as she got closer and closer. “Now meathead don’t mess this up,” thought Timmy. “God she looks amazing.” As Timmy’s mind cycled through a dozen different pre-rehearsed lines to lay to her, Tiffany’s mind was running through a dozen or so scenarios that could happen when she stood before the boy of her dreams.
Nether of them heard the little asteroid hit and sink to the bottom of the pond. Neither of them smelled the rotten eggs odor that was coming out of the center of the pond. Neither of them felt the beginnings drops of a world changing rain storm that was beginning to brew hundreds of feet above their heads.
Tiffany felt a little itch at the back of her throat, while Timmy felt a slight burning sensation to the back of his neck. As the first drops of rain came down from the very agitated clouds that were rudely woken while they were enjoying a well needed rest.
“Tiffany would you go to the senior dance with me as my girl…,” said Timmy as the words he had rehearsed multiple times over the last two weeks as he stuttered to a stop mid sentence as his left hand reached behind his head rubbing the back of his now increasingly burning neck. “What the heck.”
“What were you going to say…,” asked Tiffany as Timmy removed his left hand from the back of his neck. Thats when he heard her screams as she saw the bright red blood smeared all over his hand. “What are you screaming at?” Asked Timmy as he saw the first volatile spasm took hold of the girl he loved. But it was the bright red blood that she had coughed up that unleashed an unearthly scream from his now itch throat.
As the last pieces of the little asteroid dissolved at the bottom of the pond. It was wondering why those two kids were screaming, not understanding why they were in distress. The now fully dissolved asteroid couldn’t understand why these backwater creatures would be acting this way. They were both on the ground now, jerking their bodies around when they should be rejoicing and praising the poor little asteroids demise. After all, they should be thanking it for the gifts it had brought to this backwater world.
Timmy and Tiffany hadn’t heard the little voice that came out of the now boiling water of their little pond. They also couldn’t care less that it was now starting to rain in the middle of July. Each one of those tiny little raindrops had watched the two young lovers on their way down from the newly formed clouds hundreds of feet above their heads. Smiling to themselves, each raindrop giggled as they felt the chill start to take over in the upper atmosphere they had just ed through. The few rain drops that made it to the ground smiled as their liquid bodies splattered all over this new untouched world. Those lucky few raindrops that didn’t splat as they met the ground, instead, those lucky raindrops floated gently on the ground in the form of a large beautiful snowflake.
Huge snowflakes started falling from the growing cloud cover, but these snowflakes were unlike any snowflake that had ever fallen from the heavens onto Mother Earth. These snowflakes were much larger than the ones that came before, they were also a different color. Where the snowflakes from last winter’s blizzard were a soft white with the faintest color of ice blue to some of them. These snowflakes didn’t look cute or even heavenly, these snowflakes were black as crud oil, with blood red spots splattered all over them.
Cloud after cloud that had been floating peacefully just outside of the little ponds area started changing. As they came into with those huge clouds that had formed over that little pond. They started growing in size and in texture, its color changed into something that should have never been given life. They were not clouds of this planet, or even clouds that would be seen on any planet in this galaxy. These newly formed clouds, growing in size over the small pond had a singular mindset. One that was focused solely upon one particular thing. To multiply. To release its world changing snow.
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