Monday, April 5, 2010

6:17 AM - No comments

Death Came Knocking

We always assume that tomorrow will come. But what happens if it doesn’t? Death can come like a thief in the night… but it can also come on a beautiful, sun-filled day. Even if that day is Easter Sunday.

The day broke like any other… a beautiful sun filled blue sky. Families gathered together to celebrate Easter services, a bountiful feast, and games for the kids. They never knew the danger that was coming.

The rumbling began just before 4:00pm. Somewhere far below the surface of the earth, the plates began to shift. The tremors moved upward… shaking… rattling… groaning to move into a new position. And shifting everything above them.

Although communication was sketchy, I managed to reach a survivor. Kelli fingers raced over her keyboard, glad to know someone was out there. She explained her harrowing experience, pausing frequently to catch her thoughts… or like me, trying to figure out how to spell the next word.

The walls shook. The windows rattled. Light fixtures were tossed to and fro. Why had they moved into such a tall structure? Would they survive? Was this it… the end? Creaming like girls… which they are, by the way… they safely evacuated their structure, avoiding the massive beams as they fell like toothpicks. The air, thick with plaster, made every gulp of air more precious.

Faster they ran… faster and faster… until, above their heads, the blue sky appeared. They had made it out safely. But all around them, everywhere they looked, as far as their eyes could see… was normal. Traffic still drove. Kids still played. They only thing out of place was… them. Running and screaming from their house… they were the ones out of place.

So back they went. Inside. To straighten the picture that was a tad askew. And to wait for the calls from all the networks. Lester Holt… Katie Couric… Al Roker… or not.

OK… OK… Kelli said they felt it. The walls shook… the windows rattled… some of the rest may have been embellished. A little. But I’m glad they were all safe.

And that’s MY take

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