July 13, 2059

It was a mistake. At least, that’s what the media said.

Some days pass by and we think no more of them, simply letting ourselves be dragged forward by the fast-paced, winding roads of life. We get annoyed at coworkers, we drink the coffee we know will disintegrate our gut biome, and we try to make it home in one piece to collapse on the couch and dissociate until it is time for bed.

However, July 13, 2059 was one of those days I remember with distinct clarity.

I had woken up at six in the morning and silenced the alarm before it had the chance to vibrate a second time. Then, I brushed my teeth, nicking my gums a little, and I went to the kitchen to boil eggs for breakfast. I texted my family whilst I chewed, not wanting to be late.

On the way to the celebration—for no one was allowed inside until it was over—I wiped the sweat off my brow, and I saw that they were broadcasting the launch already. I knew I’d have a good view, though. I’d bribed my best friend to arrive early and save us a spot on the grassy knoll at the edge of town.

“If only they spared that same energy on saving the planet,” I heard someone mutter but kept moving forward, presumably toward one of the public viewing spots in town. It was hard not to chuckle at that. Only a few select nations did their part anymore.

This launch was the first of its kind because the major countries in the world had decided to finally join together to disperse a special particulate that would help clean the air around them and make breathing for those with particular conditions easier. Such an alliance hadn’t been witnessed in decades!

My chest heaved with exertion as I made it to the top of the hill, but it was worth it. I could see everything.

“You’re finally here!” Tayna shouted, her grin wide. She was wearing a bright yellow sun dress with light blue sandals to match her tote that was by her on the blanket. The wind whipped her medium-length brown hair around her, a beautiful disaster. It was all quite picturesque and I wished photography hadn’t been banned for this day.

The guards in the area patrolled with uncharacteristic seriousness. It was to be a joyful day!

“I brought snacks,” she said, bringing me into a one-handed hug, making me look away from the officers.

The floral scent of Tayna’s perfume was so strong it clung to my clothes, but I smiled when we parted, shaking my favorite purple cooler bag. “Perfect! I got drinks. Who knows how long they’ll take? With that press conference and all.”

She wiggled her fingers, gold rings glinting in the sunlight, reaching for the goods. Together, we made quick work of spreading everything out on the blanket. Tanya stretched her legs and sipped on one of the bottles of sangría. There were birds on the nearby trees, a rare sight. I remember thinking it was a good omen. Had I known anything about history, I would’ve known that the small, bark-colored birds were an omen of death—whip-poor-wills. Later, I learned that they were nocturnal bids, even more startling to see it so early in the day.

It was ten in the morning when they finally rang the bells all throughout the city. Tanya paused her rant about the third world war to take out her cellphone. She set it to ‘project mode’ and the colorful hologram of the broadcast materialized between us, as it did for many others nearby.

“On screen, dear viewers, we see all six major launch sites getting ready to press that button and improve life, as it was dreamt of by our predecessors before the conflict.”

My heart hammered in my chest. I thought I wouldn’t care as much, but my eyes were fixed to that screen like I had been one of the team members that worked on it.

“Five,” Tayna smiled at me, her hazel eyes crinkling at the corners. We joined in the counting.

“Four,” I downed the burgundy drink in the bottle and set it down next to bright orange macarons.

“Three,” A tawny-furred dog came off its leash, and its owner, a tall woman with vibrant red shorts, ran after it.

“Two,” My almond brown eyes were fixed on the sky, already searching for the projectile.

“One!” The politician on the screen pressed a button, and in a matter of seconds, we saw the white trail in the sky from the shuttle that would send the cleansing compound into the atmosphere to let it rain upon us.

Except when the cold droplets fell onto our skin, things were not quite right. It was the strangest thing. First, our skin gained sensitivity. The fabrics, the wind—it all caused a terrible ache. Then, the light seemed to refract from the bits of water, gaining intensity with the rain itself.

The previous rejoicement turned to chaos. The world became overwhelming, sight, sound, touch, smell—none of it was bearable. There were murmurs and moans from the feed, those closest to the initial source of chemicals being the first affected.

True panic, however, set it when the color began to fade. At first, I looked up to the sky to see if the clouds had obscured the sun, but there were no clouds at all!

I watched on in horror, the people around me echoing the sentiment in moans and wails, as the sky faded to light gray. The grass, Tanya’s dress, my own skin…it was all progressively drained of its essence until the world was left in monotones.

“K-Kali, what color do you see for my shoes?” she whimpered, looking at her own hand in bewilderment. “I think I’m having a stroke or something; everything looks gray!”

I snorted, trying to make light of the situation, but the tears still flooded my eyes. “You’re not having a stroke, dummy.”

“Then?”

“Something went horribly wrong?” I smiled helplessly, feeling a warm rivulet trail down my cheek. “Yes, I believe it did.”

Packing our food felt like being stabbed by needles and burned by coals. We’d donned our sunglasses to lessen the impact of the sunlight, but the pounding headache seemed there to stay. The world was too much. No one was in any mood to revel after the tragedy; rather, we all wanted to hole up, block out the unwanted stimuli, and hope this would all revert back to how it was a few minutes prior.

It did not.

The global powers wanted this day to be remembered in history, though I do not think they meant it to go down in infamy. Nonetheless, this date would be unforgettable for the following years to come.

July 13, 2059: The Day Our Colors Faded.