Don't Look Up

My name is Estelle Bowen. And I was 16 years old when the world ended. I'm also, or rather, I was an honor student, and my Zodiac was a Virgo. Oh, I almost forgot! I'm the one that discovered that humanity would cease to exist... 

11 months ago, I had an incredibly awful day. It began with my alarm not going off and me showing up to advance Chem with my hair unwashed and closed. Mismatched, to find out that I got a C minus on my last Test. I then went to eat at the cafeteria and accidentally dropped my food all over the floor. Come on. And to top it all off, after school I missed the bus ride home. So, it was a colossally bad day. 

The only thing that comforted me, was the thought that after the three kilometer walk back home, I would spend the rest of the evening watching Netflix with my parents. I wouldn't have to think about math or chemistry, or how bad my day was. I could just relax with my parents. 

My dad was an astronomer. And my mom was a news anchor. They were amazing people. And not just because they were my parents... but because. They were honestly good people, not a bad bone in their body. No matter how bad of a day they had, it would never take it out on anyone. They would just let it go. 

So naturally. I never argued with them., maybe about things like my I spent too much time on my phone, or my C- in Chem wasn't good enough and I was better than that. But in the end, I always knew they were right, and I also knew I was a child, which meant I had to listen. Obviously until I was 18 but I never had an 18th birthday. But that's beside the point. 

My walk home, I opened the door and at once smelled the smell of fresh baked cookies. Mom must have got off work early! I dropped my bag and my coat by the front door, and raced to hug my mother, who was in the kitchen. Dad was in the living room. 

“Hey Honey! How was school?” he asked. 

“Let's find another topic.... OK.” I was planning to leave my grade out of this conversation until Dad was super tired and didn't feel like giving me a whole lecture.  

“I'm assuming you didn't have a good day.” 

“Well... you'd be assuming right” 

“To make you feel better. There're no clouds in the sky tonight.” send my dad with a grin. 

As I told you before, my dad's an astronomer and well, I love everything to do with Space, I was four and as memory in constellations, I could tell you everything about our Galaxy. In honor balcony, we had a beautiful silver Telescope. On almost every clear night I would sit there looking into the universe, for hours on end.  

“Yes... I’ve been waiting for a night like this. It’s going to be warm; I already checked the weather. And it will be a perfect way to finish off this not so enjoyable day.” 

My mother smacked my hand as I tried to steal a cookie from the plate. 

“You're going to burn your hand, I just took them out of the oven, Estelle” scolded my mother. I just gave her the cutesy puppy eyes. She always melts when she sees them. 

The rest of the night, this is perfect as it could be. We watched a Netflix show come until my mother got sleepy. And I had eaten so many cookies, I was beginning to feel a little queasy. 

“We're going to bed now, don't stay out too late. You still have school tomorrow morning.” said my dad, as he got off the couch, kissed my head, and receded into their bedroom.   

This, although it didn’t seem like it at the time... was a pivotal moment in my life.  

I went up to the second floor, excitement in my heart, I couldn't wait for this. I know it seems silly, but these nights were incredibly special to me.  

I quietly scurried up the stairs. Went down the hallway and turned left into my bedroom. I opened my sliding door, In the merged on my balcony. My dad's telescope stood there. He was right... it was a perfect night. 

I looked through the telescope, as I've done for the past years. First sitting on my dad's lap. Then with him telling me where everything was, all the constellations, planets, stars, and then on my own. I was fairly sure I was going to follow in my father's footsteps in becoming astronomer. With something that genuinely made me happy. 

Position my telescope, found the Big Dipper, Canopus, and Sirius A, and I spent about an hour up there before I saw it... 

At first, I was bewildered and confused. I saw an object, but it didn't belong there. I had never seen it before, and I didn't see anything in my book or in my encyclopedias. 

Not knowing what I was and wanting an answer, I went to silently went to wake my father. 

“Hey, dad. Can you come for a second?” 

“Hey, kiddo... What time is it? What?” He said groggily. 

I grabbed him by his hand, dragged him out of bed, up the stairs and onto the balcony. apposition microscope, to see the object. My father looked through it., hesitated, and then said... 

“I have no clue what that is. How about I run it down to Professor George up at the university?” said, my dad. “I’m sure he would be more than happy to look in to it. Now go to bed... it’s so late.” 

“OK, dad. I'll be inside in a second.” 

My dad receded down to the stairs, back into his room, and I stood out on that balcony. Something didn't feel right. I remember feeling. uneasy... standing out there. I should have known then, the something was off, something was wrong, but I didn't know Exactly what was Making me feel anxious. 

Next day I woke up, to find my dad already gone and my mom making breakfast. She told me that dad had already gone to the university, with a picture and coordinates of the object I had spotted last night. 

I went to school in hopes, that today would be a better day than it was yesterday. But I still had that itching feeling I had last night. You know that feeling, Like, you know you forgot something, but you can't remember what it was. Now imagine mixing that with the feeling you get when you know you fail the test. That's what I was feeling that day. 

My mother dropped me off at the curb. Wish me a good day and took off to work. I don't understand why mothers always say have a good day, it never really ends up being a good day anyway. At least not in high school. 

My day went tragically, as you'd expect. No landmarks this time, However, I did get partnered up with the most annoying girl in school. She was insanely arrogant and cocky rich kid who believed that she could get anything she wanted, just because Daddy had deep pockets. 

After class, I went outside to call my dad. He didn't answer the phone. This probably should have been my first sign that something was wrong. Dad always has his phone on, and always picks up. But me 11 months ago wouldn't think anything of it. So, I went on about my day, oblivious to what was happening only 20 kilometers away from me. 

Halfway through fourth period, the intercom comes on and is calling my name. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I picked up my stuff and went towards the office. The first thing I saw was my mother standing outside of the office door pacing anxiously. 

“Mom, what's wrong?” I asked. My mother pretty much had nerves of steel, and nothing seemed to bother her like, EVER, so this was really off putting. 

“Father wants me to take you to the university. There's something they need to tell you, but he was being very vague about everything.” 

“OK... Did you sign me out already?” 

"Yes, I did. Now we kind of have to hurry. Your dad seemed to really want you to get there as soon as possible.” 

This is another sign that something was off. How come I didn't see this before? My dad was a very patient man, He was never in a hurry to do anything, especially chores on Saturday morning. 

We drove in silence, which was also unusual for us., all the way to the university. My mother writing me through means of buildings, classes, and libraries. She knew her way around pretty well since she was a student here. But none of that's important now 

I entered a professor Georges office. And my dad was standing there, his face solemn. They were discussing something, but they cut it short when they saw me standing in the door. 

“Oh...Estelle... It's good you're here. Close the door. We need to tell you something.” 

That's when They delivered the news. When I first heard it, I can fathom that it was real, I couldn't believe what they were telling me was actually happening, and I couldn't believe I'm the one that discovered it. They had told me. That there was an asteroid that was heading directly towards Earth, and it would hit the planet in 11 months. 

The next few months were the worst of my life. The government Made the information public about one month after I learned the truth. NASA was doing everything they could to stop it, they were partnering with other space agencies all over the world. Scientists were combining their intelligence and out of the box thinking and yet they couldn't think of anything to prevent this. 

During the months, where everything felt lost, all of the hope, all of the sense and purpose of living was gone, it was hell on Earth. The US had to Install a policing hour period to prevent any crimes. People were receiving coupons for what they could buy in the grocery store, because everyone was stocking up. School was cancelled., all sports, every social gathering.... Done. Nonexistent. Over.  

I never saw my friends again, their parents had made the move, hoping they'd be safe somewhere else. I only saw my school from the outside. When you're driving to the grocery store. There were rumors of a government lottery of who was able to hide in their classified underground bunker. But we all knew it wasn't going to be a lottery. They would take the people they needed. The doctors, the teachers, the scientists, anyone who could help humanity survive this. Obviously, they didn't know if it was enough to protect themselves from the comet. Obviously, they didn't know anything. 

Finally. Three months before the predicted impact, Answer is planning to send a rocket into space, which would hit. The asteroid releasing a bomb and hoping to tear it off course. It was a last ditch effort. By that time, the military was out on the street to, there were shootings, for people who were just trying to get extra food. People were looting, fighting, killing. 

 It seemed as though humanity had just deemed that since we were all destined to die, who cares about being truly HUMAN. 

Remember watching the broadcast, of the missile hitting? The comment, I remember hearing the frantic voices of Now this is employees. And I remembered the devastating feeling of my heart dropping to my stomach. When we heard that the asteroid had not been detoured off course but had been broken into two, two separate pieces flying in the direction of earth. 

I remember my mother crying, I remember my father holding us, saying that it's going to be OK, saying that we'll find a way out of this, And I remember myself feeling as though I was dead already. I don't remember much of the month after that. I sat with my parents. But we didn't talk that often. I remember seeing my room, period, just staring at my wall. 

Around 3:00 pm our TV turned on, emitting a siren. The comet had hit Europe, and I didn't need the TV to tell me that. My house began to shake. Car alarms began going off in the street, I heard my mom screaming for me. I'd never been that terrified in my life. 

We sat down to watch the news report. I was turned off. I didn’t heard almost nothing but I remember hearing that a tsunami reaching impossible height was heading towards us.  

Then the News report showed masses of people leaving suburban areas and cities, desperately trying to find sanctuary. No place was safe from the rock. No area would be left untouched. By storm or fire humanity would cease to exist. The Anchor, who had been a friend of my mom, moved onto a shot of the interstate. 

People were trying to run away from the wave, before it arrived, but it was impossible. You can’t outrace death. Traffic ran from miles and cars littered every highway in the state. There was no way out. And my parents knew that. The program played for several seconds before... 

...the TV flickered, and static engulfed the screen. My heart was beating so loudly, I heard the deep thudding echoing in my brain. My mother let out a deep breath she must have been holding. For a moment none of us moved, and we were all thinking the same thing... “This was it...”. For the last few weeks, I had been praying I had been wrong, that dad also made a mistake. I knew it was pointless. I WAS right and now the government had done everything they able... but it was too late. For me... for my family... for anyone or anything. I looked up at her, my mother, who had shielded and protected me from everything. I watched as a single tear flowing down her benevolent face, my heart shattering into pieces, with no hope of being mended.  

“It’ll be...okay” she said her voice breaking.  

A lie never sounded clearer coming out of my mother's mouth. But I loved her so much for it, and I loved my father, who had wrapped his arms around mother and me. As he held me in his grasp, I could almost feel safe. For a second, I almost believed my mother. I began sobbing... 

“Of course, it’ll be okay... we’re together!” I cried through waves of hysteria.  

“My sweet girl!” said my father, I could feel his tears soaking into my hair. “I couldn’t be prouder of you, of both of you!”  

He and my mother locked eyes. These were the two people I admired above all. A couple who had made it through the toughest of times, the nights were there was no food on the table. The time mother had to quit school, to work 3 different jobs, the time father worked extra hours, to make sure my mother could return to school and get her degree. A love unbroken even as the world was falling apart. They kissed and my father whispered 

“I will never leave your sides...” 

This was a promise... that nothing would ever break this team apart. Not stress from everyday life, and not the end of humanity... we would always be together. 

We had locked the door in fear of looters, boarded up our windows as well, but nothing could block the sound of screams and cries from our street. The street I had played on as a kid, catching butterflies and drawing on the sidewalk using Crayola chalk. It was now a picture of pain and utter despair.  

We sat there on our couch, where we had spent so many happy hours, playing games, watching movies and TV shows.   

It was the place we sat when life seemed perfect and then it became the place of our deaths. 

I died... 

My mother and father died... 

So did the rest of the world... 

I feel as though... if we knew what was coming, we would not be worried about our piteous first world problems “Did the price of gas go up too high, am I ugly, I'm going to fail this test, how are we going to pay the bills, I can't eat this. I didn't order it.” Would be considered nothing. People would be happier, people would have appreciated everything. Every second, they had. We wouldn't take things for granted. I don’t have many regrets. I was good to my parents, I did my best in school, I was nice to everyone. I only pitied those who died wishing they had done something differently. 

Life is unpredictable. It's a series of twists and turns, and every decision makes an impact on your fate. Let me rephrase that. Because I don't believe in fate. Every decision you make, shapes who you are in the future. Be grateful. Be happy. Take chances. Because you never know, when life will twist the wrong way.