Mandalay
Baddest Bitch in Herstory
And We All Looked Up
Keegan Stillman
Keegan laid curled into the couch, a heavy blanket draping over his shoulders. His hands held a book-- Beloved by Toni Morrison. He was only half listening to the t.v drone on in front of him. On the screen, an anchorman with a receding gray hairline talked about a comet; everyone had been talking about this comet. If you looked up at the sky, you could see it gleaming against the clouds. No one really know how it had gotten there or what is was doing. He was in the process of flipping the page, the thin paper in between his fingers, when the t.v caught his attention. "Experts are saying chances are one out of three." Keegan jerked his head up, his brown eyes training on the screen in front of him. The anchorman twirled a pen in his fingers. Beads of sweat gleamed against his forehead. What had he said?
The new station shifted to a talk between four adults. "If we have calculated correctly, ARBOR's path aligns with Earth's."
"Is there anyway we can change that?" A woman pressed.
"We're trying. Right now, there's a 66% of ARBOR hitting us. If it does, I-"
"Earth will be completely destroyed."
Keegan shook the blanket off. What? His heart pounded in his ears, choking off the sound of the t.v. Maybe this was some sick joke. One time a news station pranked a town for Aprils Fools and said that their water was tainted. He looked down. His fingers were white from gripping Beloved. The boy shakily let go of the book and grabbed his sticker-covered laptop. He pulled up google. His hands trembled, his fingers missing the right keys that he needed to type in the five-letter word.
A R B O R.
The results lined up on the screen. His body swayed against his will. Fear, disbelief, anger, and alarm filled his throat and choked him, cut off his air, threatened to rise up and spill out of his lips. 66% of hitting Earth. Two months until the estimated collision. That was two months to live. "Mom, come here," he croaked, his voice unrecognizable. '"Something is wrong."
Bella Decha
The new station shifted to a talk between four adults. "If we have calculated correctly, ARBOR's path aligns with Earth's."
"Is there anyway we can change that?" A woman pressed.
"We're trying. Right now, there's a 66% of ARBOR hitting us. If it does, I-"
"Earth will be completely destroyed."
Keegan shook the blanket off. What? His heart pounded in his ears, choking off the sound of the t.v. Maybe this was some sick joke. One time a news station pranked a town for Aprils Fools and said that their water was tainted. He looked down. His fingers were white from gripping Beloved. The boy shakily let go of the book and grabbed his sticker-covered laptop. He pulled up google. His hands trembled, his fingers missing the right keys that he needed to type in the five-letter word.
A R B O R.
The results lined up on the screen. His body swayed against his will. Fear, disbelief, anger, and alarm filled his throat and choked him, cut off his air, threatened to rise up and spill out of his lips. 66% of hitting Earth. Two months until the estimated collision. That was two months to live. "Mom, come here," he croaked, his voice unrecognizable. '"Something is wrong."
Bella Decha
The girl's hands rested on the steering wheel and her head bopped to a song by Nicki Minaj. It was a Saturday, which meant Bella had free-time. The schedule for the day would probably include shopping at the local mall, hanging out with her boyfriend, and going to a party if they were lucky. First stop: the mall. She was about to pull out of the driveway when her phone buzzed against her leg insistently. The girl sighed with annoyance, dropping her hands from the steering wheel and halting the car to pick up her phone. a text message from her dad lit up the screen-- Have u seen the news? I'm coming home from work rn. Bella rolled her eyes. Whatever was on the news must have been pretty big if, gasp, her dad was actually willing to leave work. He practically lived there. He should probably say goodbye to 97 Angela St and just move into his office.
Despite her annoyance with her dad, she unlocked her phone and tapped on google, anyways. She quickly typed in recent news, her manicured nails clicking against the screen. The results slid before her eyes.
"Experts Give Humanity Two Months To Live"
"Comet Named ARBOR Is Coming"
"Cities Are Shutting Down After Startling News"
"Will ARBOR Actually Hit Us"
After investigating a few of the links, the information was embedded in her mind. A comet named ARBOR had a 66% chance of hitting Earth in approximately two months. She tapped back to the conversation with her dad. Is this real? she typed back. Her body shook with convulsions, the bracelets on her wrists gently clanging together. What? Two months to live? Her breaths came rapidly, as if they too, were trying to run away from their impending doom. She quickly texted her mom, asking what they should do, and then pulled up her conversation with Mason. Babe, where are u? She sent the text with a quick swipe of her finger. She didn't know what else to say.
Despite her annoyance with her dad, she unlocked her phone and tapped on google, anyways. She quickly typed in recent news, her manicured nails clicking against the screen. The results slid before her eyes.
"Experts Give Humanity Two Months To Live"
"Comet Named ARBOR Is Coming"
"Cities Are Shutting Down After Startling News"
"Will ARBOR Actually Hit Us"
After investigating a few of the links, the information was embedded in her mind. A comet named ARBOR had a 66% chance of hitting Earth in approximately two months. She tapped back to the conversation with her dad. Is this real? she typed back. Her body shook with convulsions, the bracelets on her wrists gently clanging together. What? Two months to live? Her breaths came rapidly, as if they too, were trying to run away from their impending doom. She quickly texted her mom, asking what they should do, and then pulled up her conversation with Mason. Babe, where are u? She sent the text with a quick swipe of her finger. She didn't know what else to say.
Code by
JayeTheKat
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