Mushroom

Gary slowly stirred the risotto. The key was to ensure you went slow and allowed the rice to absorb the liquid before spooning in the next ladle full of stock. It was nothing fancy, just a basic mushroom risotto, but his family loved it, and at this moment in time, it was appropriate. “Do you think I should add a bit of paprika?” Gary said to his wife, June. June was closing the oven door on the freshly made pizza, another family favorite; she dabbed away another tear from he puffy eyes. “Sorry, babe, what was that?”

“Paprika, do you think I should add a bit of paprika?” Gary repeated

“I don’t quite think this is the time to experiment.” Said June

“No, you are right again.” Said Gary, a slight smirk on his face.

“Melissa,” Gary called out. It didn’t surprise either parent that there was no reply from their newly crowned teenage daughter. Gary called again. June looked at her husband. “I’ll get her.” She reached out and lovingly stroked his arm before kissing his cheek.

“I can honestly say teenage angst is one thing I won’t miss,” Gary said as his wife moved away.

“Not funny, Gary,” June said

“Hey, if now is not the time for jokes, when is.” He replied. June ignored him and went to get her daughter.

Melissa sat on the sofa, hugging her knees. She had genuinely not heard her parents call, as all her attention was focused on the flicker lights on the TV. She slowly flicked from channel to channel, each one showing its version of the carnage being played out outside in the world.

“Melissa, did you not hear you’re farther?” June said, her tone harsher than she intended; it was rough for them all without her coming down hard on the kids; they were just as sacred as the adults, without knowing what was happening. “Melissa”, June repeated, this time softer. Her daughter looked up from behind her fortress of knees. Her face was pale, and she looked so innocent.

“Sorry, mum, what?”

June held out her hand. “Come and help your brother lay the table. Take your mind off that”, said June, nodding towards the TV, “In fact, turn it off.”

“But if we turn it off, how will we know it’s over?” said her daughter, getting to her feet

“We won’t need the TV to tell us that,” June said, reaching for the TV remote and turning off the TV.

Back in the kitchen, Gary continued to mix the risotto. He was almost out of stock, so pouring the remainder of the liquid into the rice mix allowed it to come to heat and simmer for a while before removing it from the heat and allowing the rice to absorb the remainder. He turned the gas on below the steak pan; the choice cuts of meat wouldn’t take that long. Stomping footsteps on the stairs indicated his son Andrew was heading his way. Sure enough, within a few moments, the brooding sixteen-year-old appeared.

Gary wiped his hands on a tea towel before dropping it on the counter. “OK, son, you want to tell me why you have your coat on?”

“I am going to Cassey’s. And you can’t stop me.”

Gary snorted. “You’re not, and I can.” He said.

Before Andrew could retort, his mother and sister appeared

“Why’s Andrew got his coat on? Mum, dad?” Mellisa said anxiously

Gary held up his hand to quieten his daughter and hopefully postpone his wife’s part in this conversation. “OK, son, let’s say I let you go.”

“Gary!” his wife almost screamed. Gary again held his hand up to stop his wife. Inside, he couldn’t help but smile as the words to All the single ladies came into his head. It was not the time for jokes, or was it? He started again with a bit more emphasis. “So let’s say I do let you go. How far do you think you will get on foot? And the car is not going anywhere, that’s for sure.” The burning hulk of the family van still smoked on the drive from earlier that day. “ Also, what makes you think they want you there? This is a bad time for everyone; families want to be with families. Even if you do get there, the chances are Cassey’s dad will shoot you before you get halfway up the drive. The man had posted images of five or six people he had shot by the house before socials were taken down, so god knows how many more he has killed.” Changing his tactic slightly, Gary approached his son and embraced him. “I do understand, my god. It’s hard enough for me and your mum to get a grip on what’s happening around us, and we don’t have teenage hormones flooding through our veins.” He felt his son’s rigid, defiant stance soften some; Gary knew the crisis was averted.

A gunshot rang out in the street, followed by another, then another. Raised voices, and then a scream followed. Gary pulled away from his son, giving him a knowing look. Andrew smiled weakly. “Thanks, Dad,” he said quietly. Gary kissed the top of his son’s head. “OK, get that coat off and go and check the doors and windows for me, please, son,” Gary said as upbeat as he could manage. The gunshots had brought home the situation they were in again, not that it had strayed far. “Melissa, pop upstairs and get Stuart and finish setting the table; the food’s almost done.” Mellisa opened her mouth, and Gary assumed to protest. “Hey, love, don’t make me do Beyonce again.” He said, raising his hand slightly. “you know it’s not my music.” To Gary’s surprise, the joke didn’t fall on deaf ears

“You are an idiot, Dad,” his daughter said, heading for the stairs 

“Charming,” Gary said

“She is right,” June said, the relief that that issue had at least faded for now. Gary fanned in shock and looked at his son. Andrew nodded in agreement with the rest of the family.

Two more shots echoed outside. Gary casually checked his shotgun, which was still within easy reach.

“Do you think you should go see what’s happening? Someone might need our help.” June said

Gary placed the steaks on the hot grill, the meat hissing as the heat scorched the flesh. “I think we know what’s happening, and everyone is beyond help now.” He said, prodding the cooking meat. “Plus, the food will spoil.”

June knew her husband was right; if he went outside or showed his face, the end for them would come sooner rather than later.

“Dad, can you hear the shooting outside?” said Stuart as he followed his sister into the kitchen

“I can, little man, and there is nothing to be worried about. Just some people letting off steam.” Oh god, if only it were people letting off steam. “Now come on, food ready, so get that table sorted; you two and Andrew help me and your mum carry it through.”

The angry noises from the street faded away as they laid the food out. June passed everyone an empty plate and then adjusted the serving forks and spoons for the food.

“Tuck in everyone,” Gary said, spearing a steak. As he wrestled the meat off, he remembered the drinks. He returned to the kitchen with two cans of beer and a bottle of wine. Handing one of the cans to his eldest son, he smiled at him. “one won’t hurt, not tonight anyway.” He removed the cork from the wine and poured a glass for June and Melissa. “Ok, bud, what would you like?” he said to his youngest. “wine, beer, a whiskey?”

“Gary”, June said in a joking manner

“What? He can have a drink with his old man, can’t he?”

“Really, dad?” said Stuart

“Of course, son. Just tonight, mind.”

“Can I have a beer like you and Andrew?”

“Of course, you can,” Gary said, pouring a bit from his can into a glass for his youngest son. He returned to the kitchen and replaced it with a can of lemonade, handing it to Stuart “just in case it’s not to your taste.”

With that, Gary sat down. For the next few minutes, everyone went about the task of getting what food they wanted. For the next five minutes, the family ate in silence.

June flinched as her phone vibrated in her dress pocket. Gary’s phone soon followed, as well as the children’s. Before they had a chance to look at them, Gary snatched them. 

“Dad” Exclmaied Melissa

“Yeah, Dad.” Backed up, Andrew.

“No phones at the table. You know the rules. Plus, I don’t think that a message you want to read.”

June sat at the table, trying to hold back the tears, her phone face down, the message indicating the meal was almost over.

“What the message, mum?” asked Stuart.

June tried to answer but just found the words locked in her throat. Gary stood and moved to her, kissing her head.

“It’s telling us that all this trouble is almost over,” Gary said. The kids gushed with excitement. “So come on, get your drinks, and we can watch out back.”

The view from the rear of the house was one of the reasons they bought the place; from the patio, the garden gently slopped down and gave you a great view of the city. The family sat down, Gary and June, on the bench that Gary and his dad had built when they first moved in, with Stuart nestled between them. He still cradled the beer his dad gave him; he didn’t like it but didn’t want to seem like a little boy for not liking it.

“What are those, Dad,” asked Andrew, pointing to two fast-moving objects in the sky.

Gary looked at June and smiled a weary smile. “I love-”

His words were abruptly cut short by a blinding flash so intense it seared their retinas. In an instant, any semblance of pain or sound was eradicated; in that sudden and ultimate void, the concept of time ceased to exist. There was no fear, no pain—just an inexplicable absence of everything that once was. A surreal vacuum held them, frozen in a transient moment where the world, their existence, and all that they knew dissolved into nothingness. The thriving city before them vanished beneath a blossoming mushroom cloud of dust and debris.