Darkness

This story was written for a creative writing class in ’07 and was inspired by an episode of The Twilight Zone (old school one) where the earth spins out of control towards the sun.  I decided to write a story where instead of frying the earth, I froze it.  And one other thing, I leave it up to you, dear reader, to decide why the sun has died. 

 

When she woke up that morning it was dark, unexpectedly and frighteningly dark.  She turned on the radio next to her bed; the news said that the sun had died.  Died, she thought, what like it had been a living, breathing thing.  How does the sun die?  And shouldn’t it have created a black hole or something?  She fumbled around her apartment searching for a flashlight or a light switch as she reached for her bedroom light switch the radio died and she stopped with her hand on the switch; knowing that the electricity had just shut off.  There was a knock at her door.

            “Sarah?”  Her landlady called and knocked again.

            “Coming Mrs. Luci.”  Sarah called, grabbed her bathrobe and stumbled to the door with her arms outstretched, barking her toes and shins on all the wood and leather furniture in her apartment.  She finally reached the door and opened it to see her little landlady Mrs. Luci standing in the hall with a flashlight as big as her eyes behind her thick glasses.

            “The radio says that the power is going on rolling blackouts, people are panicking and the temperature has dropped 20 degrees in the last half-hour.”

            “How are you doing Mrs. Luci?”  Sarah smiled.

            “Oh dear, I just don’t know what to do, no sun; it’s like something out of a book.  No one can explain what happened.”

            “I heard it on the news that the sun died.”

            “There saying it’s either that or some foreign body has eclipsed the sun, or well…they aren’t really sure.” 

            “What are they saying we should do?”

            “They aren’t.”  By this time the two women have moved into Sarah’s living room where Sarah has lit several candles and found her flashlight.  She stands the flashlight up on end so that it creates a spotlight on the ceiling.  Mrs. Luci does the same.

            “They aren’t being helpful then.  Typical the government has less of an idea than we do but they’ll never admit it.”

            “Oh dear, they’re just trying to keep the people calm.”

            “And I’m sure that’s working.”  Sarah said as they paused and heard the sounds of people running in the streets, crashing cars and looting.  The screaming and shouting sounded like the stock track of a horror show.

            “It could be worse.”  Mrs. Luci looked around, “do you have any tea dear?”

            “Mrs. Luci, there’s no way to heat the water up.”

            “Oh right, I suppose you have some water I could drink, my throat’s awful dry.”

            “Yes, Mrs. Luci I’ll get some for you.”  Sarah said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen.  Her feet were freezing and the cold linoleum didn’t improve the situation.  Sarah got some water and handed it to Mrs. Luci then excused herself and went into her bedroom where she got dressed in her warmest clothes and went back out to the living room.

            “Oh good dear, I was going to ask if you wanted to borrow my coat.”  Mrs. Luci indicated her huge winter jacket that easily swallowed her.  “But you’ve got some nice winter things.”

            “Yes…Mrs. Luci what are we going to do?”

            “Whatever do you mean Sarah?”

            “Well there is no more sun, it’s going to get cold, real cold and dark.  How are we supposed to stay alive?  Should we leave, should we move closer to the equator, or should we just stay here and accept…”

            “Don’t.”  Mrs. Luci’s small voice was sharp and shrill and stopped Sarah in her tracks.  There was a sudden knock on the door.  Both women jumped and Sarah stood up slowly.

            “Who is it?”

            “Mr. Delaney, is Mrs. Luci in there?”

            “Hang on Mr. Delaney, I’m coming.”  Sarah said as she opened the door.

            “Mrs. Luci, we’re leaving.”  Mr. Delaney indicated his wife and two little girls.  “They’re saying we should leave and try to get somewhere warmer.  So we’re going.”

            “Wait, the radio’s back on?”  Sarah said and made a move towards her bedroom radio.

            “No, a friend of ours stopped by, he works for the state department.  He told us that the official stand is that everyone should try to leave and get somewhere warmer.”

            “But what will that accomplish?”  Sarah asked.

            “Whatever do you mean?”  Mrs. Luci gasped.

            “We have got to survive.”  Mr. Delaney said.  “That’s all there is to it, we must survive, anyhow, anyway.  So we are going to try and survive by moving somewhere that might be warmer.  Good-bye Ms. Killian, good-bye Mrs. Luci.”

            “Oh dear, good-bye Mr. Delaney.”

            “We can send someone for you, if you want Mrs. Luci.”

            “No dear, this is my home.  I’ll stay.”

            “Good-bye Mr. Delaney.”  Sarah said and closed the door behind him and his family.

            “Dear you should go, you should leave, and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.  I’m done.”

            “Mrs. Luci, I have no reason to want to leave.  This is my home as well.”

            “Dear…”

            “Mrs. Luci do you want something a little stronger?”  Sarah said as she stood up and took down a bottle of scotch from behind her books on the bookcase.

            “Oh sure dear.”  Mrs. Luci held out her glass that had so recently held water.

            “So what shall we do Mrs. Luci?”  Sarah said as she filled up her own glass.

            “Dear there is nothing left to do.”

            “I suppose not.”

It was colder now and sure to only get more so.  People from the city were coming around to tell people what to do, how to survive in this blackness, in this coldness.  Thousands of people were packing whatever they could into cars and onto bikes, bags and even wheelbarrows were being filled with items that people felt they couldn’t live without and leaving to see if there were any warm climates left.  Hundreds of others were determined to stay and survive in this city, Mrs. Luci and Sarah among them.

  

More than 200 years had passed since the sun had been killed and humankind had evolved.  Claire could have been considered the ultimate specimen of evolution, about 3 feet tall, elfin face, dark brown hair in tiny braids, and tan skin, and probably would have been except for her eyes.  She had the blue eyes, a dangerous abnormality.  She had grown up in an atmosphere of fierce Darwinistic survival methods; Claire had fought for every scrap of food, clothing and warmth in her life, like others of her ilk she was more animalistic than humanistic most days.  Claire, however, was even more different than anyone could have imagined.  She had dreams of loving families, siblings, lovers, warmth and light.  She desired, above all and beyond all rationale, to bring the sun back and return things to the way they had been once upon a time.  Claire had relocated from the countryside of her birth to the city where she had met another special child who also desired to bring the sun back, his name was Danny.  Danny was also about 3 feet tall with an elfin face, tan skin, dark brown spiked hair and dark brown eyes.  He had also grown up fighting but had been bullied by four older brothers and despised what humanity had become.  He desired to bring the sun back in order to civilize civilization.  Claire and Danny had formed a special bond based on this shared goal as well as their shared dreams.  They had found a few other children who also desired to bring the sun back to life but Claire and Danny held their cards close to their chest, not trusting to tell others their bold, brilliant plan.