Flash Fictions by Benjamin D. Togate

Equation of Time

It had been years since the big collapse and the world had somewhat recovered. Humanity had not, but Brayon always knew that was a good thing. Humanity was no good for the earth. It was better if few of them lived in harmony.

He had been one of the lucky few. He and his family. His father was a renowned mathematician. He had calculated the collapse years before it actually happened. And when it happened, he was prepared. He took his wife, his two sons, their dog and a few dear people to a safe shelter. And they waited. Waited out the collapse, the plunder, death, disease and disaster - and then they were free to go out and life live as they pleased.

For Brayon that meant taking his Bicycle and explore the now abandoned world above. You'd think he would encounter disaster and ruins, but it was amazing how quickly the world had recovered once the vast majority of humans were gone. Instead of death, despair and poison he found meadows that covered mother earths bruises like a loving blanked. He found clear skies and clear lakes teeming with life. He found nature reclaiming once barren mountains and forests recovering after deforestation.

He was too young to miss the world before and too old not to remember his time in the shelter. So he enjoyed every second of being alone in this great vastness of nature, aware of his own presence and that he would die to protect what there was now.

Humans should stay away. This is what he wished for. He didn't miss the world before.

"Son" his father said as Brayon was about to leave home once more for a trip of exploration. He stopped to look at his father, now carrying a grey beard, looking at and into him with his awake blue eyes.
"When you get to the lake today, look up, ok? You'll see what we lost."

His eyes looked sad all of a sudden. Brayon couldn't really grasp why both of his parents had grown sadder over the years. After all they were alive and the world outside was beautiful.

Brayon nodded and headed off. When he got to the lake he put down his bike to stare into the sky. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary... until...

A blue planet appeared, it was smaller than the fullmoon. It wasn't radiating light like a star. It was... different. As the sun set, the sky grew darker, the blue planet changed. It did light up. But not like the moon or the stars. It sparkled, tiny specs of light shimmering in the distance. Brayon marvelled at it for hours, until he felt a cold hand grabbing his. His father and mother had both made it out.

"What is that?" Brayon asked his father with big eyes.
His father didn’t say a word. It was like he was carefully aligning the right words in his mind, until they were finally ready to be spoken.
"That" he said "is earth. Like it once was, like it once lived."
Brayon just stared at him confused.
"Today is the last time we will be able to see it. One last time. The Equation of Time told me."
"But" Brayon said "Aren't we on earth?"
"It's another one" Brayons mother whispered. She had tears in her eyes but didn't move them from the sight of earth.

"Son… our earth, our home, is long gone. It doesn't exist anymore"
His voice grew sad.
"What you see, is the past. The earth you see is like a star that died many lightyears ago, but is just now reaching our sight."

How is that even possible? Brayon thought. How could he stand on earth yet look right at it, millions of lights shining in communities they once called cities. This was fascinating and sad at the same time.

"Do you miss it, Dad? The earth before, I mean." Brayon said, now staring at the past earth like both his parents did.
"I do, son, I do. But we didn't deserve her. We never did."