Life As We Know It

There wasn't much before that night, but now there is nothing. No sound. No light No sign of life.

Part 1:

It was 9 pm on a Thursday. Late August and everyone was getting ready for the new school year. Little girls held onto their mother's hands as they were tucked into bed, and little boys fought their sleepy eyes with video games.

Everyone moved through life slow, unchanged.

I remember sitting on the living room couch, a blue tint cast across my skin as I watched the evening news. It started with the typical golf scores, nursing home care, local crime, and tips for kids going back to school this fall. I struggled to keep my tired eyes from drifting shut. I couldn't help it, by the time the lottery numbers played I was out.

I woke up around 2:30 a.m. Nothing looked different, but I could feel it. The air felt heavier, almost like gravity had strengthened. I figured my body was still asleep, so I grabbed my favorite fleece blanket and snuggled back into the couch corner. Just as my consciousness slipped back into my dreams, something happened.

I open my eyes wide, trying to adjust them as cats do, but I had no luck. My body could sense something was off, but I couldn't figure out what this eery feeling meant. I turn the T.V. back on for some light. The remote was my closest friend right now.

As the screen crackled to turn on, a strange inhumane sound came from my speakers. It was a pitchy shrill, and hum with no tune.

I tried to keep calm, maybe this is just a strange dream. Maybe a squirrel just got into the wires and now signals are getting all mixed up... I had myself convinced for a moment until the sound grew louder.

Then it spoke directly to me.

“We have taken the rest. You are one of few left. Do not fear. You have been chosen.”

I let out a shriek as the message finished. I hid under my blanket like a child. I curse myself, I knew I should've got a roommate. I'm frozen with fear, I don't know whether to get off this couch and call someone, or stay safe under my blanket armor. I stay for a bit.

What does that mean, “You have been chosen.” What if I don't want to be chosen?? Chosen for what? My heart begins to pound so hard it hurts. I remind myself to take deep breaths. There's no reason to panic yet, no one is hurt. I'm still alive. I'm okay.

After a few minutes, I gain enough courage to peak out the window close behind me. There are no lights on, not even a car on the street. This is unusual. I remind myself that it is three in the morning, so I need to consider that. My rational mind is doing all it can to save me from brooding in fear.

Finally, I gain the courage to pick up my phone and see what is going on. Not many people will respond to a message or a call at three am, so I turn to Google.

As I search for the current news in the world right now, my phone begins to do the same thing the T.V. did. It crackles and hums and begins to repeat the message. I throw it across the room, petrified.

Something is telling me to go outside, a gut feeling, but I am too scared for what I may see. Maybe if I go to sleep this will all be over in the morning.

I clamp my eyes shut, in hopes to wake back up in a normal world.

Part 2:

I wake up around 7 A.M. The room is full of orange light from the sunrise, and the room smells like a sweet August morning. I knew it was just a bad dream.

I get up and do some light stretches. Today's schedule is fairly free, so I have no worries to rush this morning. I grab some cereal and sit down at the kitchen island. I notice my phone lying face down next to the bathroom door. I ignore it and step over it. Maybe it's time for a digital detox anyways.

I noticed the sunrise is strangely intense this morning. As I walked by the curtain, the sunlight touched my skin, it slightly stung. I have never had morning sun do that before.

Something inside urges me again to go outside. I ignore it, in hopes that it's just curiosity and nothing more. As they say, curiosity killed the cat, and I am no cat. Except for last night when I was trying to see like one in the dark. I finish up my cereal in silence, no T.V., no phone, no distractions. The peace was relaxing for once, it didn't feel like I was missing out from the world.

I know eventually, I will have to go outside if I want to go anywhere, but I really don't want to. I leave this frustration alongside the bowl in the sink and go take a shower. These always make me feel ready for the day ahead.

I turn the water on and it steams up the bathroom. I draw a smiley face in the mirror right as I hop in the shower. Just as I am finishing and drying my hair, I notice the mirror had changed. Right next to my smiley face is a message.

“Go outside.”

The letters were shakey and the steam made it so faint, but it was there. My body shakes as though it was freezing, it's all from fear. I don't know what to do. Do I stay hiding in my house or do I take a chance and go outside. After all the strange things that have been happening, is it even safe?

I throw my robe on, unbothered to find clothes. I wipe my smiley face off the mirror and that stupid message. I know no one was in here with me because I always lock the bathroom door, it's a habit I still have from growing up with brothers and sisters. Who wrote the message then? Was it already there before I got in the shower? Did the steam just reveal it? My heart begins to hurt again. I take deep breaths and massage my chest. I cannot handle a panic attack right now.

I take a minute to count my breaths. 1.... 2....3....4.... Go outside.... 5... The urge is no longer mine alone, it is someone telling me. I run to my room and grab pants and a shirt.

Fine, if it insists that I go outside then I will. But once I do, leave me alone. I grumble to myself as I search for clothes to wear, my hair is still soaking wet. The once serene morning has turned irritating.

I finally decide on a long sleeve Alaska shirt and some black sweatpants, screw looking cute today. Still grumbling, I open the front door and my eyes are seared by the sun. I hold my hand over them for protection, but it hardly works. I've never felt the sun feel so powerful before. It looks huge like it is only a few miles from the Earth. I run back inside and grab sunglasses.

As I return to my front porch, I look around my neighborhood. Not a single person in sight. Flashes of the message pop back into my mind. “We have taken the rest... You are one of few left... Do not fear... You have been chosen.”

My neck tightens with stress and my throat begins to close. I grab ahold of the stair rail and balance myself again. Worries of my Mother surface in my mind, my siblings, even my neighbors. What has happened to everyone?

I run off into the street and look around for signs of life. Even the neighbor’s dogs are gone. I look up at the sky, trying to not lose my calm, but I think I'm well past that.

As I bring my mind back to Earth, I notice something moving down the block. I stand still, praying it's not coming to hurt me. It was slim, tall, and an unearthly color. It seemed to be wearing no clothes, however, its skin looked like clothes enough. It walks with a smooth stride as if full steps weren't necessary. I slowly begin walking backward, but as soon as I move, that thing approaches quicker. It was now only a few yards from me. I begin to shake from fear and the ache of the sun’s beaming rays. I'm sure the exposed parts of my skin are turning red. They feel tingly.

It speaks to me, not with words, but in my mind. I hear the message again. “We have taken the rest. You are one of few left. Do not fear. You have been chosen.” This being is now only a few feet away from me, and its eyes are piercing deep blue. They keep me in a trance and I can’t break free. It looks like it’s holding the oceans in its eyes.

It reaches out for me, and I want to flinch and run away, but my body cannot move. My heart wants to race, but I have no control. It’s the scariest, most calming experience I have ever had. My mind is clear and only receptive, unnecessary thoughts evaporate into thin air.

The being rests its hands on my stomach, I try to look down but my head is frozen in place. I feel a strange sensation. Something has moved inside of me. Now human instincts are showing through and all calmness has left my body. With its long finger, it traces a shape on my stomach. I realize after the second point that it’s a triangle. I panic. Once the shape is finished, it rests both its hands around my stomach. They’re freezing, but it’s almost soothing compared to the heat of the sun.

A pulsing begins to emit from its hands into my skin. I begin to feel even more movement inside me.

Am I pregnant?

It answers, “Yes.” As simple as that.

I do not understand. I tell them that I do not want to be pregnant. I do not understand what is going on. I don’t want to be the chosen one.

They respond, “There is no choice. This was meant for you. You must create a new world.”

I try to hold back my tears as I rack my brain. I’m unsuccessful, and my eyes begin to pour like waterfalls. Suddenly my body can move again, and it’s leading me towards my house. I let out a rigid breath that was supposed to be a sigh. Finally, something I recognized again. The door opened by itself as we stepped onto the porch. As I peered inside, I recognized nothing. This house was not mine. My couch, my blankets, and my photos were all gone. Even my phone next to the bathroom door had vanished. The tears I thought were all gone come flooding back.

The being tells me to come to my bedroom and lie down. I feel I have no other option, and with each step, my body begins to feel heavier and heavier. I look down as my stomach grows in size, doubling with each passing moment. It said I was pregnant, but with how many? I hear a number in my mind. Four. I begin to panic. Four children? All by myself? Why? Why me! How can you even get pregnant all by yourself? This was no gentle being, this was a curse. This is all fake. I know if I just lie down, I will wake up. I will wake up… I will wake up…. I repeat these words as I drift to sleep.

When I wake, I am still in this foreign house I cannot recognize. I look down and my stomach is no longer inflated. I gasp in joy, I knew it was just hallucinations or something. Maybe I was out in the heat too long.

I go to stand up when a searing pain shoots from my abdomen all the way up my spine. I shriek in pain and it fills the bedroom. In response, four other cries echo back. My face crumples in despair as the nightmare is real. I lay in misery as the pain throbs up and down my spine, now spreading through my ovaries and twisting my intestines.

The pain is so intense, I have to throw up. There is no trash can, so I reach for the bedside drawer. It’s either this or all over the bed. I throw up until there’s nothing left inside. I dry heave for what seems like forever and nearing the end, the crying stops. I use all of my strength to pull myself out of this bed. As I make my way to the living room, I see the most disturbing thing. The Beings are doing surgery on the babies. Without any tools or medical advances, they are simply using their hands. Their long skinny grey fingers pick and probe at the babies, but they are not crying. They are fast asleep and they almost look peaceful. I try to not make a sound, I do not know what they will do to me next.

As I continue watching, nausea comes back. I try to hold it down, but the sight is too much. What could they possibly be doing to these children? They were just born…. wait, they were just born. How were they taken out of me? I look down and lift my shirt. Across my stomach is a large X. I cry as I touch the scar, it seeps slowly with blood. It hardens around the scar and leaves an uncomfortable itch.

I don’t want to be here, I go to the bathroom and lock the door. I sit on the floor as a dim blue light reflects a glow off the walls. I don’t normally pray, but right now I have nothing else.

Dear Lord, please help me understand what is happening. Why were those babies put into me? What are they doing to them? What are these creatures? I pray so hard my eyes feel like they will burst. I cry as I sit on the cold linoleum floor. I rest my head against the tub and wipe my nose with toilet paper. This isn’t supposed to be my life.

I was supposed to be in my final year of college, on the road to becoming an elementary school teacher. My life was supposed to be peaceful, not sci-fi and petrifying. This was supposed to be the year that I met the love of my life and we planned our future together. I was NOT supposed to be mysteriously pregnant with four children, with no control of what happens next.

I’ve decided I need to go out there and face whatever those Beings are. No longer am I just going to be pushed around by them and controlled. You came into MY house. As I go to stand up, I notice the pain is less intense. My stomach no longer feels like I am going to die, but a faint reminder of the scar still throbs.

I grab the side of the tub and the toilet to help me stand up. I look into the mirror with the faint light and I hardly recognize myself. My once brown and blonde hair is now turning grey with faint curls. My skin looks dry and cracked, as though I had spent my whole life in the sun. My eyes were tired and weary like they had seen many lifetimes. The clothes I wore were the same, but the body inside them was not. It was skinny and frail, as though I had forgotten to eat for years. This can’t be true. Please don’t let this be real.

Part 3:

I open the door and the house is different, once again. I look on the walls and there are photos of me with children I have never seen. School photos are lined up the wall down the stairs. Four sets for each child, kindergarten through college. I don’t remember any of this. I never experienced this so how is it on my wall? I move to the kitchen, where the fridge is plastered with memories. Trips with the children, two boys, and two girls. They were all so beautiful, they looked so happy. Christmas photos, family camping trips… my heart twinged as the memories felt so far. The spare room, which once was an office, is now filled with boxes. Some are marked with names I do not recognize, but I notice one of them has mine.

I peer into the box with shaky hands, and lying on top is a diploma with my name on it. It says that I graduated from Michigan State University in 2023 with my teaching degree. I really did it. Further in the box were memories from my years of teaching. I taught for forty-three years before I retired. I cover my mouth as I choke on this information. Forty-three years had passed and I don’t remember any of it. Not a single moment. Photos of me teaching, on field trips, and school fundraisers fill the box. My children are next to me as they grew up in each photo. I look so happy…. I close the box as my tears begin to fill it. It seems I had never married. I devoted my entire life to children and teaching. Turning to the wall behind me I see a bookshelf filled with environmental books. Herbs, holistic healing, yoga, energy healing… Are these all mine? I check the author of a few of them, and with wide eyes, I see my name. I am an author too? I never saw myself as a writer, but I guess a lot can change in a lifetime.

In the living room, there’s now a fireplace and a rocking chair. “We Love You Mom” is engraved on the head of it, and there’s a quilted blanket hanging over the arms. I can no longer hold it inside, sobs fill the quiet home. Why would this happen to me? Why would I miss my entire life just like that? Was it even me living it? After I pull myself together, I peek outside the living room window.

Everything is different. The streets which once paved my neighborhood are now granite roads. Beautiful and shiny, almost as though they’ve never been touched. An abundance of trees, and so much wildlife. Everything looks so balanced. The sunbeams brightly and you can see the healthy grass and flowers soaking it all up.

There are no traditional cars, only bicycles, scooters, and electric vehicles. I head outside to the porch to breathe in the fresh air. As I take my first deep breath of the day, I feel like I am floating. I have never been able to smell the different parts of nature so distinctly. You can hear every bird chirping without the droning sounds of human activity. In yards, some bunnies play and everyone has a garden and greenhouse, even myself. I don’t remember being passionate about gardening, but when I step into the greenhouse a feeling of joy over washes me. Natural herbs, vegetables, fruits, grains…. They surround me.

I smile as I pick a peppermint leaf to chew on.

Stepping outside the greenhouse I see a family across the street, they just got home from the store it seems, but their bags are not plastic. Their trunk is loaded with boxes and each child runs to bring one inside. They notice me watching and give me a big smile and a wave. That’s unusual, I don’t recall people being so friendly. They wave for me to come over and I shake my head, embarrassed of my age and confusion. They insist and bring a box over to me. I smile as I look inside, it is filled with flowers of every sort. Succulents, roses, dandelions, cactus, aloe vera….

“We were at the farmers market Mrs. Gen and thought about you and your greenhouse. We got you a few things,” the young lady smiles at me with wide eyes. I felt so loved.

“Thank you so much,” my hoarse voice surprises me. “I’m going to put these into my greenhouse right now, dear. You and your family are so thoughtful.” She reaches out for a hug and I embrace the invitation, to my surprise.

“I’ll see you sometime this week for dinner Mrs. Gen, my mother wanted me to invite you over for lasagna!” She takes off running and I can’t help but smile at her boundless energy. She joins her brothers in the yard as they play tag. Their dad joins them and they all jump into a dogpile, soon after, the dog joins too.

A tear begins to form in my eye, I’ve never seen something so beautiful. I take the flowers to my greenhouse and place them a respectful distance apart. I searched for my watering can, it all felt so natural like I had done this a thousand times before. I imagine dinner with them later this week, not even sure of today’s date.

I notice a shimmering from the side of my home. There lie 5 solar panels. I’ve never had these before. I walk closer to get a closer look. A big red sticker lies on the balancing beam, it reads “State Issued Solar Panels. United States of America Energy.” I was confused, but as I looked around, I noticed everyone had them on the side of their homes. Have we gone strictly solar power?

Memories of that day begin to flood my head. I was a chosen one… I was meant to create a new world. Did I help all of this? Was I a force in this global change? How could I be when I don’t remember? My head began to ache and memories of the scar began to resurface. I take a moment and breathe. I think I need to go inside and rest. This is all a lot to take in.

I slowly make my way up my stairs and notice there is no lock on the door. That is strange, what a big leap of trust that takes. I brush the thought off and go back to the kitchen. On my stove sits a glass tea kettle, inside are some dry herbs waiting to be boiled. I fill it with water, and as I turn on the tap the water glistens. In a way, I have never seen it before. It looked so pure and clean, as though it came straight from the streams. I take a moment to acknowledge this clean water and give my gratitude.

As I wait for the herbs to boil I stare at the photos on the fridge some more. Maybe the sacrifices I made were necessary for a better world… I think about my children and wonder what they are doing now. Hung on the wall is a copy of their diplomas. One boy became an environmental engineer, the other a pediatric grief counselor. One of my girls became an herbalist and the other an artist. Pride filled my chest as I looked at all of their photos. Their smiles each shined brighter than the sun ever could.

As I pour my tea, peace fills me. I take my warm drink and sit on the maple rocking chair. I turn on the T.V. for the news and I see the celebration. Cultures across the world joining in harmony. Their music mixes and creates heavenly vibrations. They report how money is no longer an issue for the average citizen because the wealth is distributed. New laws and regulations are set, where there is equal punishment or reward for each citizen. People are free to roam the world without worrying about imaginary borders. This land is everybody’s, as it always has been. Industrial farms are illegal and the FDA only approves of grass-fed and free-range animals. GMO and toxins are illegal, due to the crisis of 2035 when over 78% of the world's population fell ill to a genetic mutation sickness. It was caused by additives, hormones, and toxins in the food.

The wealthiest humans have created a program where solar panels are installed in every neighborhood, to ensure green energy and reduce the waste of fossil fuels. Electric cars are the only forms of transportation, and old oil-based cars are scrapped and used for their pieces to produce new ones. States provide gardening, farming tools, resources, and information so every family has the opportunity for fresh food all year long. Education is free for every grade, and college is paid for by the state. The percentage of homelessness in the country has gone to virtually zero, for there are now shelters across every town that accept every race, age, religion, and gender. You are assisted with work, and they provide local jobs to help support yourself and your family.

My eyes sting as tears of joy pour. I may not remember every detail of my life, but I do know every single second was magical. With each sip, my heart warms, and I come to accept this new world and my new life.

I was a chosen one.

Thank you so so so much for reading my first ever Vocal short story!

I hope this story inspired my fellow Starseeds in this world, we came here for a mission and it will be fulfilled!

Donations are appreciated but never expected.

I hope you have a beautiful day, and remember: we will create a better world <3

If you'd like to read more by me check out my Health and Wellness blog, simplyshi.blog.