The Formation

A hush and a blush wind their way through the trees with the breeze.  The gently winding whisper of air kisses cheeks, trunks, and the bubbling creek running along the forest floor.  I listen closely to the bend and break of boughs and branches reaching forevermore towards the shining sun.  I pause to soak in the radiant rays filtering through the listless leaves.  Then, once in utter bliss, I continue course through the oak and pine.  My feet, shrouded in tattered high-top sneakers, crunch satisfyingly on the carpet of dead brown foliage.

    This is how that day started.  Exactly the same as every other walk home from school.  Granted, I usually go the shorter way, but today is unlike any other day.  Today is especially near and dear to me.  He is not going to ruin the day for me.  What happened yesterday in the woods was a warning for tomorrow.  Today is the day for rejoicing, because tomorrow is coming.  Tomorrow brings reality.  Tomorrow is the day the world ends.  Tomorrow is the day The Form arrives for good.

    Brown pine needles, soft from rain and dew, blanket the slim trail meandering through the trees and undergrowth.  The carpet lined with unfurling green ferns rolls out before me, leading the path around roots and rocks.  I follow, thinking it knows something of which I am wondrously unaware.  Whether or not this feeling is founded upon truth will be answered when the trail ends- on a dirt road upon which noisy, glistening cars bump along.

    High in the canopy above, a solitary robin red-breast breaks the silence with its lilting song. Squirrels and chipmunks scatter in the branches.  They chatter to each other in languages unbeknownst to mere mortals like me.  They know what is coming.  They are prepared and welcome the change.  The death of all humankind means nothing to those who will benefit from its demise.  He will make sure of it.

    Down the creek, squeals of delighted children ring around branch forts and fairy houses.  Their eyes, minds, spirits, and arms expand wide open while singing silly songs to one another.  Shouts of glee bounce off rocks and leap from stone to stone.  These sounds drift toward you as if from a kingdom high in the heavens.  These sounds meld harmoniously with birdsong and wind.  These sounds are what dreams float wistfully upon, but soon they will be no more.  Little do they know the world is about to end.

    There is no hate inside this bubble.  No one hurls insults; no hurricane arrives in its destructive path.  The thick oaks, droopy pines, and white birches stand erect in their rooted places.  Breathe in the tranquility of the canopy above and release the tension of what came before this moment.  Let go of what came before the blowing and sighing of the wind.  Unfortunately, The Form does not see this as so.  All The Form sees is what is to become of mankind.  

    Outside the bubble, however, lies deception and deceit.  People throw others under the bus to get ahead, or lie to make someone else think a certain way.  This is a cruel world we live in.  This is the cruel world The Form sees.  This cruel world is about to change.  This cruel world is about to change, for better or for worse.  This will all be history in no time at all.  The Form will make sure of it; The Form has plans for humanity.  Plans that involve pain before reaching pleasure.  Plans that will take more than give, and benefit The Form above all else.

    The inevitability of death looms like a hostile warship over a bustling city.  As I step onto the white wraparound porch of my house, a shadow falls over the neighborhood.  Looking up, I see a sight no human has seen before.  The Form is here.  The time has come.  The beginning of the end has arrived.  Everyone must atone for their sins and start anew.  I sigh and open the door, welcoming the musty air and inevitable fate.

    The Form is waiting for me inside.  I am not at all surprised The Form knows where I live; I was found on the path to school, so of course The Form knows all my other habits.  The Form has funny intuition and habits in that way; The Form always knows.  However, I am surprised by The Form’s form.  Before me stands all the people I have hurt in my lifetime.  I face my mistakes, embracing each and coming to terms with my demise.  This is what The Form wants.  This is truly the end for me, but hopefully not for humanity.  The Form can save them.