The Alpha and the Omega

Christmas, 1974

Candle light, Strauss, glistening snow, and a 14-year-old girl with a need to write…

The earth cries out in agony and despair as it clings to life with its last bit of strength.

The reason for the vast decaying of mankind had been discovered; but in vain.  It was too late.

It started so plain in view that man looked right at it – and right through it.

All the warnings of possible destruction from the arsenals, the factories, the automobiles and the smoke were to no avail.  None would take these ‘health freaks’ seriously.  So – there was smoke, smog, littering, dumping of wastes into dark, dying lakes and streams….and apathy until that one year.

Man, with his great mind and fantastic achievements was about to witness the total ruin of the earth.  As fast as man’s mind had developed and matured itself up to such a miraculous wonder was as fast as man would watch himself die.

When the first signs showed themselves, man, who could not even bother himself with his own children for fear of precious time loss, had naturally postponed this trivial thing until later.  The problem?  Only a few cattle had died after drinking from a clear lake.

This would not be discussed again until reports were made that irrigated crops in various parts of the world were dying with no apparent reason.  ‘No fishing’ signs were posted more often than not and the wildlife were mysteriously dying.  These incidents aroused some attention from the public, who asked that an inspection take place.

Slowly, with little deliberation, the governments set aside some of their precious time to inspect the problem.  After a total of three weeks of inactive, broken inspection, these happenings were posted as only coincidental.

Life went back to normal.  People went on living as before and critics kept on writing and warning.  But even those with the wildest imaginations could not conceive the whole population of all the earth being totally wiped out.

Meanwhile a bacteria that had somehow formed from the mixtures of the pollutants grew and spread as fast as if death itself was chasing it.  It’s victims at first were the occasional animals that drank from it’s water home and the plants which received it from irrigation.  It spread like wildfire, contaminating every bit of water it was transmitted to, and in turn contaminating and killing living beings – beasts and men.

Within six months after the first dead cattle had been found a third of the world’s population had been wiped out.

The government heads, now seeing there was a serious problem, went to work searching for the reason and the source.  During this time signs were posted on billboards all over the world reading thus; 'The department of health has declared all bodies of water around the world unhealthy and possibly harmful to anyone who goes in or near them.'

There were two stages in this development; 1) spreading of the bacteria to all known and unknown bodies of water throughout the entire world, and 2) the waiting…the short waiting period where the remainder of the plants and animals died and the half crazed people ran to the forbidden water to have ‘just one last drink’.

And now after almost the whole population is dead, a dying scientist sees the answer.

It is there and it is gone – so – his life.

The death bell has rung and has taken its toll.

When the last form of life is gone the sun comes out as never before parching and shriveling the earth with it’s stinging, harsh rays.  There is nothing now, no form of life anywhere.

All is brown and dead….all dead.

There is a silence in the world.  A muteness that is so loud, it seems to explode in your mind.  There is not a baby crying or a person screaming; not a sparrow singing or a lion roaring.  It is so still you could hear a butterfly perching on a flower.  All has ceased to exist.  Even the wind has silenced itself in this victory of mankind over himself.  The power of death has overcome.  Man with his superior mind and incredible achievements has unintentionally disregarded his own human needs and thus has destroyed himself….silence…

Wait!  What is this?!  

It comes almost minute at first but then it grows and grows.  Soon the tears of remorse from heaven over a lost love fall to the earth, bouncing off the dried  withered remnants and shattering into a million, dancing sparkles of glistening sun-drops; not black and soiled, but clear and pure and alive.

The dry, cracked earth is much surprised as these wonderful bits of life share their gift with it, but it soaks it up and asks for more – and… receives it.

It rains….and it pours.

As the sky clears a sudden radiant light appears.  It is a dove – pure and white and shinning with beauty – carrying in its mouth a small, green twig.  The dove gently drops the twig and when it touches the earth, it infects the earth with a contagion that seems to affect the whole earth; only this time the contagion is life.

Feeble, young plants peak out from the sullen earth and are almost scared away, but the warmth of the sun and the nourishment of God’s tears encourage them to take on life.  Shinning as brightly as they can, they stand up to death and beat it.  Soon the earth explodes with color and life while the oceans fill themselves with cool, living, clear water.

Then comes the almost chaotic excitement as the animals start out their new life.  As instinct pulls these habitual creatures into a forgotten routine of life, you can see such sights as the king of beasts stalking its unsuspecting prey and the tiny hummingbird flying through the air at a speed three times its own intricate body size. 

In the midst of all this commotion there is a chorus of high-pitched screeches which stops the animals in their places.  The trumpeters, which act as the alarm device of nature, usually warned of a coming disastrous event, such as fire or a flood, which the animals responded to by fleeing from the foe.  But this time there is something in the air that tells the animals not to run, not to be frightened.  Not one beast moves so much as to twitch an ear as they stand staring in awe and wonderment at the creatures before them.

Joined hand in hand, the two stand silently.  Their naked bodies are sturdy and strong; their faces that of beauty.  And in their glimmering eyes there is a shining love and a determination that will last till the end…and after.

‘And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.’