No More Time

The Event

Rays of sunlight perforated through rifts of white cloud in the sky, bathing a small town in golden and yellow tones. A loud clatter of voices filled the streets of the town centre as it got into the swing of midday. Part of that noise was the shouting going on down a whole street, specifically kept for market traders on Thursdays and Saturdays. Men and women yelled out their prices for vegetables, fruit, clothes - everything was a bargain.

One boy was helping out on a fruit stall. He wasn't a natural speaker like his uncle; he'd tried many times to copy him but always got tongue-twisted. At first he was disappointed - helping on a stall was classed as a vocational activity and meant he could skip school once a week. However, he found that instead of hollering prices in a perculiar accent, there was another way to gain people's attention - juggling.

At first his uncle had frowned at the idea of his goods being thrown and bruised, but when he saw the crowd he pulled in every now and then, he didn't mind so much. He did, however, find it strange that people could be so easily amused by something as simple as juggling apples, but he didn't complain as long as there was more money gained.

The boy was three apples into his routine, and his uncle was about to throw some more in. They had already caught the eye of an elderly couple standing across the wide cobbled street at a cake stand, looking sort of amused.

His Uncle continued with "Watch 'im people! I'm about to throw another apple in there - with a bit of a surprise!"

There was no surprise. They did this weekly and the boy knew another apple and a banana was going to be thrown at him in three.. two.. one..

"Would you look at that, he caught it! And not even a flinch, he's still going strong! Shall I add more ladies n' gents? Do we think he can 'andle more?"

A quiet cheer arose from the small crowd that had drifted around them as some more people turned away from other stalls.

Both uncle and nephew were pleased how it was going. Just one more fruit and -

A loud strange sound tore through the atmosphere. It was mightier than thunder, but sounded like something was being ripped apart.

Everyone looked around, startled. The boy looked at his fruit which was now rolling around on the pavement. Normally he would have been upset, but everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing as him: what was that sound and where had it come from? Silence had temporarily filled the air as people pondered in confusion. No noise from neighbouring streets meant everybody had heard it.

He examined the sky, but it was still jovial and bright, everything was fine.

Moments after their world stood still, it was thrown into chaos. The ground suddenly erupted, shaking violently. The boy turned and reached for his uncle, who grasped his arm in return and pulled him to the edge of the pavement. A large cracking sound rippled through their ears, and peoples panicked screams soon turned to fading wails and they dropped downwards through the gaping holes that had emerged beneath them.

The boy watched in shock as the elderly couple disappeared, and then their stall. His uncle pulled him back further until they were pressed up against a shop window. Sinkholes were emerging all the way down the street. People tried to dodge and jump, most of them diving in vain and falling in. It was like a disaster movie during a scene he couldn't stomach; the boy wanted to close his eyes but he didn't dare. As he clutched his uncles arm he witnessed what everyone else seemed to have missed in their panic.

Something had hit the sun.