Nuclear War

Suggestion of WW2 Holocaust.

A chill touched my left shoulder. I looked at the sky. Australia, for their comfort, has defined autumn as the first of March. It's easier to say the first of March rather than maybe the twentieth, the twenty-first or the twenty-second of March. I know the lack of Sun. The Sun turning its back, or shining its face, defines the season, but I was so busy last week that I did not check what time the event Autumn Equinox would occur this year! Let's see, on the twentieth of March, it happened! I looked out my window, my backyard friends were reappearing. They walked in a procession line. At the head of the line, Mosha, the inland taipan and plovers carried the ark of the covenant. I waved in solidarity!

I DID remember the lunar eclipse was tonight. I do believe food rots quickly, as well as our bodies, are drained of a month of life force in those sorts of eclipse events. With slight tummy rumbles, I snuggled under my weighted blanket to watch Netflix, "The Cold War and the Bomb. The Cold War finished before I was born, so my mind was filled with data from those times. You could say a bridge from that world to this world was built. 

 My phone played the tune it always does. A familiar punctual voice questioned, "Are you coming to our eclipse party?" I turn the television volume down slightly. My eyes remained focused on the mushroom-like orange explosion. John enunciated, "Not going to listen to me, huh?" I muffle a laugh, "Hmm, all cosy under my blanket versus social interaction?" If silence could smile, John was capable of that, "See you soon, honey!" Unknown to you, that meant he was flirting with me!

I gathered my keys and later appeared to the group. There were chips and a dip on the coffee table. "Good beginning," I thought. John beckoned to me, "I've warmed your seat." The others seemed comfy in their jeans and woollies. Some wool colours are boring, but other colours like orange, olive, and red-brown seem to relax me. It's like today's algorithms and complexities are lost in those 1970s innocent colours of stripes near a low fire. 

Because I arrived late, the conversation had moved from the weather to other things. They restarted their formalities. "Been getting cold, Daisy?" Of course, I was ready for the restrained scorn. I put my best smile on, and I felt like an eclipse; it was my fault, I had stopped the birds chattering around their coffee table. Reminding me of my manners, John tapped on my shoulder blade like he was playing the piano tune of Popcorn. "OK, sorry I was late, guys." 

I chip-spooned a chunk of dip. My nervous eating somehow amused and/or settled them, "Yum, great Hummus!" John looked at me, stuffing my face. He liked my curvaceous hips, but? Defiantly, I shoved another piled chip in my mouth, "Can't let it go to waste!" Janice straightened her backbone and allowed an emotional ether of a crown, from me to travel across to her and settle on her head. She declared, "The secret is the proportions of chickpeas and tahini must be right!" Peter reached for a chip, "Jan, I'm going to try. " He crunched and let the crush of garlic and onion shoot his tongue, "Mmm, delicious!" Janice shrugged her shoulders as a winner would and accepted his amethyst. John nodded slowly. You don't know, but that meant his anxiety had settled as I blended in with his friends again. 

The mellow radio music played in the background, and the usual 7 o'clock news broadcast began, "Will Queensland cancel the Olympics?" Tracy asked, "Do you think they have the money to build for the Olympics?" John smirked, "We have tent cities. We have intense youth crime. Why not spend all the money on a stadium?" Carol nodded, "Yer, why not?" Peter cuddled her, "Brrr, baby's cold." Her long, legs draped denim, and her bony ankles shanked out with big bare feet. She twisted her body and laid on her back to then stick them into Peter's stomach. "God! Oh, baby, cold feet!" Laughing, Carol touched her heart. Peter wiggling his fingers in the air announced, "Tickle time!" 

The news Bulletin continued, "Meanwhile, England's people brace for the reality of Kate's diagnosis." A female voice exclaimed, "She's our princess. I wish her a quick recovery, " Tracy grimaced, "Yer, bad news, ey?" She tapped on her phone and then showed Janice her subject, "Do you think that's Kate talking or AI-generated?" Janice grimaced and reached into her bag to find her glasses, "It's hard to say. Kate's eyes look like they are stagnant, like one of those old police identification kits." John glanced, and a huge crackle from the two kittens erupted, "Can't know these days!" Wendy leaned towards the screen, "Seems sus! But what about those horrible people who tried to infiltrate her health records?" Carol surfaced with a loud gasp of air from under the pillow over her face and kicked Peter to exclaim, "Ouch, babe, just missed the family jewels!" 

Standing, Janice swished her purple shoulder-length hair and threw her pillow directly at Peter. "You two monkeys!" She motioned at the coffee while looking at me. That was my cue to help her clean up. I collected the dishes, "There's more food coming, guys!" A cleaning cloth was given to bed hair Carol who turned to Peter, "Later!"

After the poor person's dinner of Stew, Hunza pie, and buttered sourdough, I suggested, "Let's watch Netflix?" Tricia mumbled, "Yep, what's new?" I internally grimaced, "Well, I don't think you would be interested in the Cold War documentary I had been watching?" John quizzed, "What Cold War?" I overlooked his question, thinking they might be interested in the movie "Oppenheimer" but could not find the title of the movie in the 'New' section. "That's strange," I thought. I typed, "Oppen," in a search. Nothing. I continued by typing the full name "Oppenheimer." Nothing! John leaned on my shoulder heavily puzzled by my words, "What movies are you looking for Hun?" Confused, I returned to the 'New' category, I could not see the docuseries on the Cold War either. John repeated, "What are you looking for Hun?

I returned to search to type a general subject. John read my search, What is nuclear? Tracy quipped, "A brand of toothpaste?" Carol rinsing the pots yelled out, "A shampoo?" Peter alerted, What is a Cold War? Tracy laughed, "When two fridges fight!" John probed, "Oppenheimer?" Wendy replied, "I think he was associated with Tesla?" Feeling insecure, I mumbled, "Surely one of you has heard of nuclear weapons?" Everyone went blank. I asked John, who now had a possessive firm grasp of the remote control, "Could you search World War Two?" John frustrated at my bad joke said, "Honey, there has only been one World War!"

I felt the blood drain from my face. I ran outside for air. I smelt sweet rain. The trees were very tall, and the earth was deep red. The grass was thicker, and the clouds were plump grey rather than slimed. I searched for "Kennedy" on my phone he was old. I searched "Indonesian tsunami", "Covid", and "Cabal". Nothing! All I could find was the "Versailles Treaty," which said, "Countries recognised they did not want further Wars and shared their resources." I read further, "Racism and Eugenic philosophies concerned all countries and abolished. " I heard John's quick footsteps and him mentioning, "I think she's having a panic attack." I thought quickly, "The Blood moon during Purim, took the world back! I guess I could either dupe this reality or embrace it with gratitude. What would you do?