Jeremy's Journey

Jeremy looked out from his apartment window on the third floor of the five story building to see a world full of chaos. Everywhere he looked, people were rushing about in a frenzy, anxious and worried of what the next minute would bring. They reminded him of mice in a maze; mice bearing large, overstuffed suitcases that were ready to explode. Some dragged along their children. You could see the confusion on their fear struck faces, gripping onto the sweaty palms of their guardians who were trying to be strong but were as frightened as a man on death row about to make the long walk to the electric chair. Fear on the inside, strong on the outside. Cars ran along the busy street forming lines as long as the horizon. Traffic backed up because of an accident far ahead. Totalled cars did not matter to the occupants of the waiting cars. Did they care about the lives that might have been lost? Harsh words are yelled out in their panic to get moving, ignoring the reality of the inevitable. The scrambling continues.


The world that once was, is no longer. The fields of lush green grass that sparkled with morning dew is now a sight of destruction. They are no longer green but, instead, a bright blaze of orange against the blackness. What used to be lush green is now burnt and parched of water. Trees that used to mark miles of forest are now but a dream, for the fierce winds had uprooted them after the harsh effects of the acidic rain. But most of all, the sky that used to be as blue as a toddler's eyes is now a dull brown with a hint of orange. You had to strain to see the sun, for it had shrunk to the size of a beachball and would soon become nothing at all but a space in the sky where once a brilliant spherical gift used to shine with all its glory. Sunsets that used to fill the sky with brilliant reds, pinks and oranges no longer came. The threat of meteorites falling from the sky was imminent. For days Jeremy thought the sun would not return the next day, but it did, as if taking its time to say goodbye to the world it had shined its face upon for so long.


Shaking his head in sadness, Jeremy continued to stare out the window, sitting on his favourite beige recliner chair, the one his wife had bought him. Slowly he stood up, his long blonde hair falling in front of his face. Rubbing his sweaty hands on his jeans, he glanced at a cracked picture of his wife and daughter which had fallen off the wall during an earthquake. He reached into his back pocket to grab his pocketknife and used it to remove the useless glass that protected the picture. He slipped out the picture and tucked it into his pocket. Sighing, he said goodbye to his possessions, grabbed his suede coat from the closet and slipped on his old runners.


He quickly scooted out of the apartment and raced down the stairs, running his gold wedding band along the rail. Seventy-five steps later, he arrived at the front doorway of the building and shoved it open. Looking down the chaotic street, he slowly made his way towards the house where he and his wife and daughter used to live. He'd put it up for sale months ago, unable to bear the memories any longer. He stood there and stared at it for awhile, remembering a time when his family would greet him with grins as large as life. Natalie, Jeremy's wife, had moved out ten months earlier to be with a rich, pompous snoot who lived in a mansion.


He continued on his way until he came upon the mansion of the man she had left him for. As he began to walk towards the marble stairs, a man dressed in a long black trenchcoat grabbed him by the collar of his neck. Looking at the large man, he noticed that he wore no shoes but seemed to float on the air. His trenchcoat waved in the wind and his hood cast a shadow on his face which hid his identity. The dark mysterious man now appeared to be a figure with no face, just a large hollow space upon which the hood sat. "It is time", the figure said in a deep, almost echoing voice.


"What do you mean, it's time?", Jeremy exclaimed. "I was just going to say goodbye to my daughter for the last time. It can't be time. No way! The world hasn't ended yet. Who do you think you are telling me this?"


The figure paused for a moment, as if considering Jeremy's protest. "Who am I, you ask? I am death and I have come to take you. Consider yourself lucky that you don't have to suffer the full extent of all this."


Then, suddenly, they began to rise, higher and higher into the sky until everything below looked the size of ants. "I will not go!", shouted Jeremy as he shook his way out of death's grip. He began to fall, as if forever, until he crashed onto the porch of his family's former house, the same house where his dreams had died ten months ago. Amazingly, he felt no pain. How could that be?


He jumped to his feet and raced to the door. He began pounding on it with all of his might, however, the sound was miniscule compared to all the other sounds of panic around him. Jeremy grew impatient and slammed his whole body up against the door. Surprisingly, it sprang open. Glancing back and forth in desperation, Jeremy began running around the house like a lunatic, yelling "Natalie! Brianna! Where are you?" Frustrated by the lack of a response, Jeremy began to search the rooms one by one until he came to a room that was in total disarray. With bed flipped over and desk and chairs strewn about, it looked as though a mini tornado had ravaged through the room. However, it had not been a tornado; it was a meteor. He cried again, "Nat-a-lie!" A weak moan came from somewhere inside the room. He frantically began overturning chairs. "Where are you?" The moaning was weak.


He came upon a large oak dresser and using all the strength he could muster, he flipped it to the side. There, in front of his eyes, were his wife and daughter. His wife's face was bloodied and her legs badly bruised. His daughter was barely recognizable. Seeing his lovely family in such a state was too much for Jeremy to bear. Closing his eyes tightly, he strived to keep the river of tears back. "Please let them be okay", he pleaded. His wife's eyes were glassy, like that of a doll's. She began to speak in a scratchy, weak voice, "Jeremy, she's gone." She reached for his hand. "I should never have left you. I came here hoping to find you. I'm so sorry." Jeremy squeezed her hand tightly, the tears flowing now. "I love you", she whispered, and with that, she drew her last breath. Jeremy stood looking at his lifeless beauties in disbelief. Once so full of life, now gone. Embracing his two loves in his arms, he waited for the world to take him too.


Suddenly, the deathly figure appeared before him. "You can take me now", Jeremy whimpered. Wiping his eyes on his jacket, Jeremy stood and walked toward the dark figure who led him outside. Just then, the sky cleared and he saw his wife and daughter, beautiful once more, rising up towards the beautiful blue canopy, smiling down on him with grins larger than life. How he had longed to see those smiling faces once more. And in an instant, he was there with them, where he belonged. There would be no more tears.