The Last Snow Day

The Last Snow Day                    3
         
         
         "Time to get up if you want to eat breakfast before school."

         "Aw, Mom, just ten more minutes. Please?"

         "I just gave you ten minutes the last time I was here. If you're tired, we need to change your bedtime. Better yet, only an hour to play video games at night after all your homework and chores."

         "I'm up, I'm up. I'll be down after I take my shower and get dressed."

         "I knew you would see it my way, Erik."

#

         After showering and dressing, Erik went down to the kitchen. As he walked by the big picture window in the hall, he noticed it had been snowing, and by the looks of it, the wind was blowing pretty hard. As he got to the kitchen, his mom had the radio and listened to the local news.

         "...Lenmar Elementary is closed due to the blizzard, LinMar Elementary is closed, Auburn Junior and Senior High Schools are closed, Norris Junior and Senior High schools are closed, St. Mary's has canceled, The YWCA Recreational Center has canceled all activities today, the Food Pantry is closed..."


         "YES! There is no school today. I can go back to bed. After I get up at noon, I'll play my game. I love playing that game; it's about space. A perfect day to do nothing."

         "First, you'll do the breakfast dishes, then vacuum the living room and dining room floors. It is a good day to clean the spare bedroom and tidy it up. Then, after the wind stops blowing, you will shovel the walk and driveway."

         "But it's a snow day- we're supposed to relax and do nothing."

         "When was that rule made? It is certainly not a rule in this house. How about this: we have your favorite radio station playing the whole time we are working? That way, you can listen to music and make the day faster."

         "Really? You don't like my music; you make me listen to it with headphones on."

         "Today is different. Deal?"

         "My music, right?"

         "Yes, Erik, your music. I won't say a word about it all today. Just today."

         "Deal. I will go turn my music."

         Erik and his mom worked around the house most of the morning, listening to Erik's music. When one job was completed, they rested and discussed what they would do next. Erik mentioned that when it would be warmer in the summer, he could go outside and be around his friends. As they were talking, Erik's music abruptly stopped mid-song.

         "Attention: The following is a message from the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), a division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Washington D.C. It has been confirmed that a deviation of its orbit has placed the asteroid Vesta on a collision course with Earth. The Vesta asteroid is believed to have a diameter of 525 kilometers or 326 miles. The asteroid which precipitated the extinction of the dinosaurs was 10 to 15 kilometers or 6.2 to 9.3 miles in diameter."

          "Vesta is traveling 90,000 kilometers or 55,923 miles per hour and is approximately 1,323,101 kilometers or 822,137 miles from Earth. The time of impact is fourteen days."

          The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs will also make a statement after it convenes."

          Erik turned the radio off. "That has to be a joke. There is no way an asteroid is going to hit Earth. There aren't any even close to us. It has to be a joke."

          "Let's see if there is anything on television. If it is real . ."

          "It's not real, Mom."

          Erik and his mom went to the kitchen and turned on the small television. All the channels were broadcasting the same information. An asteroid was going to hit Earth within two weeks. All the television channels announced that a message from the President would be broadcast within an hour. Information from the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs would air when it became available. Everyone is warned to stay inside and watch for further updates.

          "It can't be true. They have to be wrong about this. An asteroid isn't coming. No way." Erik said, trying to sound reassuring.

          "I... We should go to the store and stock up. We have enough in savings to last for a while. Oh, wait. We can't go because of the snowstorm. I wish your father were alive; he would know what to do." Erik noticed his mom had paled, and her voice was shaky.

          "Mom, it will be all right. They will announce they were wrong, and everything will be fine. Just wait and see. Why don't you lie down for a while."

          "I think I will. What are you going to do?"

          "I dunno. Maybe play my game."

          Erik didn't want to play anymore.



Words: 792