Regis and Atienne found refuge in an abandoned barn next to a stone strewn field, it looked as though the stones had been individually placed evenly spaced across the vastness of the open ground. “Who knew that we were playing with such power as this Atienne, what has the shadow created? will she not stop? America is gone, Canada has been destroyed, poisoned from above, the killer chemical sprayers have sprayed the toxic death for so many years that the minds of the people are poisoned, they could no longer think, no more could they look up and understand, the minds of the masses; well they are mindless beasts, they never recovered from the poison they have breathed and eaten as food for two, three decades, or more.” Atienne looking at his cohort, “It has been a perfect plan of destruction, the shadow has performed the plan with precision and stealth, ‘no one knew, and the ones who did died suddenly, were poisoned individually or disappeared without a trace, or were murdered. The NEW world superior race has triumphed. The plan has succeeded. In one day, the earth has been brought to her knees, the Dying World, has fallen.”
Marshal Blackburn sat close to the fire it was early morning and Selah was with the ladies in the ranch house. “Box Dorx!” He shouted staring at the fire, “I tried to tell them, they’re all in boxes, all of them, Toilet paper comes in boxes too! Morons! They got the rit, the rite and the rote, but they got no brains! I tried to warn them! I spent fifteen years trying to break them out of their boxes! Fifteen years I wasted trying to break them out of the jail they created for themselves thinking they were the wise ones. Fifteen years of kicking the sides out of the boxes so they could look out and see the light of day.” “Paper trained, yeah paper turns to mush in the heavy rains, and the boxes, well, the do too, then what is left?” Littlebear listened as Marshal spoke, he knew Marshal had suffered a brain injury from the Silent Sound Spread which had created the killer storms they had miraculously escaped. Marshal was untouchable now the only person who was able to reach into his heart and bring him comfort was Selah. But Littlebear knew Marshal wouldn’t be with them for long, the damage was severe, he was all but gone. Box Dorx, Marshals dirge was all about his spending several years of his life in the attempt to warn as many people as he could of the upcoming catastrophe which he had understood, the blinding of the masses, with desires, wants and useless wrangling’s and competition, the Jones’s, the American dream, now the nightmare. The Box Dorx were the blind leading the blind and all of them ended up in the ditch together as the lava, the fire, the floods, and heaving twisting and turning wrung disfigured, and defaced nearly all the land as the earth turned east to west and south the new north strong and desolate. Where O where were the brilliant scientists now.
In the beginning god made the heavens and the earth….
In the beginning God made man in his image and according to his likeness, to the point that it seemed that man had succeeded in destroying what God had given him to nurture, cultivate, tend, and nurture. Marshal was right, Littlebear knew his message, it was the message he and Janine both heard while in university, and it was the message that drove them home to the mountain where life was.
Bella had gone out walking with Whitefeather, and Selah after breakfast, they ventured over to the edge of the ridge finding the new lava hot spring pouring forth hot, crystal clear waters from the mouth of the geyser. “Healing waters Bella exclaimed, God has blessed us with these waters.” It wasn’t long before all of the village began to follow one another to the hot springs, soon all were sharing in the wonder only Marshal wouldn’t go in.
As the day wore on, all were gathered back to camp, when Littlebear remembered a story his dad had told him before he died, the story was a story which he’d heard written by a watchman far up North, Carter Littlebear asked that all would please listen to him as he recited the story,
“What can Happen in one day…The Dad handing his son a small piece of wire, his son not knowing what that was.”
What can happen in one day? Everything you know can pass away!
The mountains can all crumble – and fall flat to the ground, the valleys can be heaved up, high as level ground. What can happen in one day? Many things it seems.
Nations, kingdoms, countries – forever perishing. What can happen in one day?
The Sun be darkened as the night; all the elements could melt. What could happen in one day? Maybe men could catch a thought of what is coming next. Say that you are young, married fresh and new, suddenly the whole world shifts, and starts, and everything’s shook loose. All the houses are destroyed, not one of them is left. No more cities superstore or restaurants are left. All the Government extinct, Hospitals all gone, no more motor vehicles, trucks or buses to ride on.
Many others I could say, I think you get the point…everything you knew and loved is forever gone.
As survivors now you two are left to the work at hand, to work with sweat upon your brow to get a living from the land. So, one day you bring forth a child and you watch him grow, then you sit when he is older and tell of long ago. “Son, you may not believe this, but we used to own a house, a truck, and a car, we used to drive along the highway at sixty miles per hour.
We used to walk across the street, and buy our groceries from the store.
Then we’d bring them home and put them in the – refrigerator.
We used to go to the airport every now and then, and climb into a jet and fly off to another land.” “Son, this world is all you’ve ever known but once upon a time,
One Day happened – everything changed and we were left behind,
a lot can happen in one day, now we’ve come to know it.
Hold your life with a loose grip, for God may make you let go of it.
But he says to you, “Whatever is a car? And what is this other thing for food – a refrigerator?”
“Well, Son, a refrigerator is like a great big box,” “Whoa! Dad, What’s a box? Maybe you’ve been laying for too long with your head on the damp moss! “No, Son, a box was made of cardboard, and cardboard from a tree. I told you at the start, Son, that you might not believe me.” A lot can happen in one day, the world as we now know it could forever change, and change again, like it did in the time of Noah. For as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the days of the Son of Man.
As Littlebear finished telling the story, Marshal came over to him, handing him a small piece of wire, he told Littlebear that it was time for him to go now. Marshal turned facing the valley below where the city had been, he began to walk away from the village knowing it was over for him. Selah ran behind calling his name until he stopped kneeling down, he caught her in his arms, he hugged her tightly as he said he had to go away now it was time. “It’s time for you to die, she cried, I know but I, I, I love you! I don’t want you to die! you have to live! I love you! Selah cried hard as Marshal held her and cried with her. “It will be alright sweetie he whispered chocking on his few words, “we will see each other again I promise.” As Whitefeather, and Littlebear came Littlebear took Selah into his arms when Marshal Blackburn turned to walk away once more, remembering the words Dunning had Spoken, “it’s always the children who have to pay for the blindness of the adults and their utter folly. “God I am innocent of this, I tried, for fifteen years I tried to warn them they thought I was crazy. They all died before me. “Box Dorx!” Broken Cisterns that can hold no water, living water! “Box Dorx, loved the laws created to frame them in, to corral them into the paradigms that destroy the truth, darkened the way and scatter boulders onto the path of life.”
Selah fought to break loose of Littlebears hold of her once free she knelt down and began to pray within her heart, the Lord answering her, “Do you remember Noah child?” “Yes, Lord she replied,” “What color was his hair?” “White Lord” “Do you remember Elijah then?” “Yes, I Remember Elijah you took him to heaven and he didn’t die.” Hahahaha.” Selah stood up filled with Joy once again. Walking back to the ones gathered nearby Selah suddenly turned waving her arms and yelling back to Marshall as he disappeared below the rise. “Do good Corporal Blackburn!” then softly she repeated, do good.” As they neared the group Little bear handed the small piece of wire which Blackburn had given him to Selma.
Hubert Rondeau
photo borrowed online