He pulled off his glasses to absentmindedly clean them with
the corner of his lab coat. “At the current rate of ‘devisoration,’ as we are
calling it, lakes and rivers will be completely dry within two years. The
oceans as deep as we believe them to be, will be dry within ten years. We have
our top minds on the problem, but as of yet we have no solutions as to the
cause or long-term effects. We are working night and day to come up with a good
solution. We will let the public know as soon as any progress is made. For now
all we can say is try to conserve water as best you can.”
The room erupted into a cacophony of reporters’ questions and
outbursts. The presidential seal appeared on the screen, and then the world
fell silent for a short time. What was going to happen now? Would we be living
in a strange new land, were lawlessness takes over? The only thing I was sure
of, things were about to get real abnormal around here.
I rushed to my front door and ripped it open, plunged outside
and stared up into the sky. Nothing looked different: clouds, airplanes, the
sun; all was in order and normal. I reclaimed the feeling that this was all
just a silly hoax. Someone was having fun at my expense.
“Do you believe it?” A voice drifted over to me from the apartment
next door. “I mean, can it really be true? Are we finally doomed?” The
questioning voice emanated from my neighbor, Tia Capucine, a late
twenty-something bombshell of a girl. She was perhaps five foot four inches
tall, had chestnut brown hair, which was pulled back into a tight ponytail that
just went past her shoulders in length. Her skin was a creamy dark olive and
her eyes were a deep brown and had energy emitting from them like burning
embers.
I have had a thing for this girl ever since she moved in two
years ago. She was a graduate student studying history; specifically ancient
Mesopotamia sparked great interest in her. She seemed to be very intrigued by
the Fertile Crescent. I can’t say I much cared for history, but for her I’m
sure I could learn volumes on the subject.
“I’m not sure what to believe right now,” I responded, “I
mean, it’s sort of unbelievable. One day they just decide to drop an
information bomb on us of this magnitude? No, I’m pretty sure someone is having
a good laugh, much like Orson Welles infamous War of the Worlds radio
broadcast.” I smiled reassuringly at her, but she looked pensive nonetheless.
“I wonder,” she said, pondering the question, “I called a few
people at the university in the chemistry and biology departments that I have
made friends with. I think they have seen data that corroborates the story.”
“You’re putting me on.” I jovially answered.
“Not at all,” she said seriously, “I’m pretty sure these guys
wouldn’t lie to me. And think about it; what if all this ‘global warming’ hype
was really us misunderstanding the intrinsic issue, just like we need water to
sweat out to stay cool, so does the earth?”
-V-
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