BlackBlood
Where the World Ends...
- Local time
- Today 10:35 PM
- Messages
- 8,958
- Age
- 40
- Location
- In the Dark places of your mind....
- Pronouns
- he/him/they/them
I am the last one.
I do not know why, or how, but something happened at the start of the day that no one but I recall. The leaves didn't turn into the usual bright orange, red, and yellow as they usually do. I would even have been understanding, though a bit upset if they had immediately turned that dark brown and began falling right away, but they did not even do that. Instead, the leaves first started to turn black. It wasn't all at once either. It was a gradual fade as if they were on some great canvas and being erased.
I was not the only one to notice, either. People talked about it amongst themselves, pointing and drawing attention to the leaves. No one knew what was happening, and then as morning wore on, they disappeared altogether. Normally I would not be so concerned by the seeming loss of interest, after all we all turn to the same place for answers eventually, and with the morning news starting to push forward I was one who was already tapping away at my phone to see what they had to say about the leaves vanishing.
I blinked when the first thing that came up was some coverage on the current politicians- who cared? The leaves turned black and were gone! That seemed a bit more of an issue- but maybe it was just us? I continued to scroll until I noticed something else- no trees in any pictures had leaves! I flicked passed one and then another article. No mention, even in the weather and science areas of the news- and even more puzzling and worrying was that I noticed that even older articles with pictures had no leaves.
I sat down on a bench and looked up at the trees again, feeling much more uneasy at their bare... black? Wait! I looked around at the rest of the people milling about the street and realized none of them seemed to even notice that whatever it was had spread to the smaller branches!
"E-excuse me," I managed to draw the attention of a couple close to my age in appearance, "did you... notice that the branches are black now?" I pointed hesitantly at the trees, "I mean.. it is weird the news hasn't said anything about the leaves-"
"Leaves?" The man looked quizzically at me, as if the word was foreign to him.
"Yes... you know... the.. the leaves on the trees... how they turned black and just..." I started again, how could they not have noticed? were they just now coming outside? but I mean, wouldn't it still be weird to wake up and come out to completely bare trees no matter where one looked? Fall is fall, but it never happens that fast, overnight for every single tree!
"I have no idea what your talking about," He shrugged, then under his breath, "weirdo."
"Yeah... what the fuck are leaves?" His girlfriend snickered as they walked off.
What are... leaves?? Well, first off, idiots, leaves are how most of our air comes to exist... second off... wait, are you both that stupid? Who doesn't know what a leaf is?!
I spun in place. Ok, so either I had just met the worlds most ignorant people... or something was very wrong- and was spreading. Trees are an important resource. They provide shade, air, nutrients to and from the soil, homes for animals, and basically without them, we humans die. Deciduous trees lose their leaves with the change of the seasons. It was really bad if we lost all deciduous trees. We likely would all die- maybe if just those died in just this country we might make it...
I flipped open my phone with shaking fingers and began to look up pictures in specific of trees. Paintings, drawings, pictures of all kinds. No leaves. Not a single picture of any deciduous trees with leaves- and most types....
I looked up. The smaller branches were gone, and the larger ones were turning black now! What was happening?! This wasn't just a few leaves missing, our world was going to die! I quickly looked up 'Pine tree'. No results!
I know my color had drained, and the world was spinning.
"S-sir... do you know.... why I can't find... a pine tree?" I asked a nearby gentleman who looked at me worriedly and moved to catch me as I dropped.
--
That was a week ago. As I sit and stare out at the barren landscape, drawing in thinner and thinner breaths I know the truth. We aren't dying because of some government or weapon. I am fairly certain there is no such thing as a weapon that makes things cease to exist. I watch as the next flower in line out my hospital window begins to turn black. Whatever it was that had the power to erase things did not just want us dead. Whatever it was wanted to watch as we took our last breaths and remained ignorant an unable to fight back. I would not give it that pleasure. I would remember.
Slowly, I looked down into my lap at what should have been an empty pot- to the small beginnings of something new- a tree... the last, and first, of its kind. I would remember and somehow I would live to bring it all back.
I do not know why, or how, but something happened at the start of the day that no one but I recall. The leaves didn't turn into the usual bright orange, red, and yellow as they usually do. I would even have been understanding, though a bit upset if they had immediately turned that dark brown and began falling right away, but they did not even do that. Instead, the leaves first started to turn black. It wasn't all at once either. It was a gradual fade as if they were on some great canvas and being erased.
I was not the only one to notice, either. People talked about it amongst themselves, pointing and drawing attention to the leaves. No one knew what was happening, and then as morning wore on, they disappeared altogether. Normally I would not be so concerned by the seeming loss of interest, after all we all turn to the same place for answers eventually, and with the morning news starting to push forward I was one who was already tapping away at my phone to see what they had to say about the leaves vanishing.
I blinked when the first thing that came up was some coverage on the current politicians- who cared? The leaves turned black and were gone! That seemed a bit more of an issue- but maybe it was just us? I continued to scroll until I noticed something else- no trees in any pictures had leaves! I flicked passed one and then another article. No mention, even in the weather and science areas of the news- and even more puzzling and worrying was that I noticed that even older articles with pictures had no leaves.
I sat down on a bench and looked up at the trees again, feeling much more uneasy at their bare... black? Wait! I looked around at the rest of the people milling about the street and realized none of them seemed to even notice that whatever it was had spread to the smaller branches!
"E-excuse me," I managed to draw the attention of a couple close to my age in appearance, "did you... notice that the branches are black now?" I pointed hesitantly at the trees, "I mean.. it is weird the news hasn't said anything about the leaves-"
"Leaves?" The man looked quizzically at me, as if the word was foreign to him.
"Yes... you know... the.. the leaves on the trees... how they turned black and just..." I started again, how could they not have noticed? were they just now coming outside? but I mean, wouldn't it still be weird to wake up and come out to completely bare trees no matter where one looked? Fall is fall, but it never happens that fast, overnight for every single tree!
"I have no idea what your talking about," He shrugged, then under his breath, "weirdo."
"Yeah... what the fuck are leaves?" His girlfriend snickered as they walked off.
What are... leaves?? Well, first off, idiots, leaves are how most of our air comes to exist... second off... wait, are you both that stupid? Who doesn't know what a leaf is?!
I spun in place. Ok, so either I had just met the worlds most ignorant people... or something was very wrong- and was spreading. Trees are an important resource. They provide shade, air, nutrients to and from the soil, homes for animals, and basically without them, we humans die. Deciduous trees lose their leaves with the change of the seasons. It was really bad if we lost all deciduous trees. We likely would all die- maybe if just those died in just this country we might make it...
I flipped open my phone with shaking fingers and began to look up pictures in specific of trees. Paintings, drawings, pictures of all kinds. No leaves. Not a single picture of any deciduous trees with leaves- and most types....
I looked up. The smaller branches were gone, and the larger ones were turning black now! What was happening?! This wasn't just a few leaves missing, our world was going to die! I quickly looked up 'Pine tree'. No results!
I know my color had drained, and the world was spinning.
"S-sir... do you know.... why I can't find... a pine tree?" I asked a nearby gentleman who looked at me worriedly and moved to catch me as I dropped.
--
That was a week ago. As I sit and stare out at the barren landscape, drawing in thinner and thinner breaths I know the truth. We aren't dying because of some government or weapon. I am fairly certain there is no such thing as a weapon that makes things cease to exist. I watch as the next flower in line out my hospital window begins to turn black. Whatever it was that had the power to erase things did not just want us dead. Whatever it was wanted to watch as we took our last breaths and remained ignorant an unable to fight back. I would not give it that pleasure. I would remember.
Slowly, I looked down into my lap at what should have been an empty pot- to the small beginnings of something new- a tree... the last, and first, of its kind. I would remember and somehow I would live to bring it all back.