:: Ratty's randomly rattyful blog :: 2/21/10 ::

Prologue
A family sits on their couch, watching the news.
“This just in,” the slowly rotating hologram of a reporter announced. “Congress has declared war on the Australian Empire. The President has asked that everyone please remain calm. Make sure your shelters are well-stocked with food and other necessities and please remain near them, as the bomb warnings could come at any time.”
The mother hugged her baby daughter to her chest with the arm that wasn’t wrapped around her son’s shoulders as she turned to her husband. “I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
He patted her shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll be back before you know it. Diamond is the safest city in the Western district.”
She lowered her voice so that her son couldn’t hear. “And us? Quartz isn’t so safe.”
“You’re in Rose Quartz. Nothing’s going to get through the Dome. I promise.” He got up and picked up his briefcase, then kissed his wife and hugged his son. “I’ll be back by noon tomorrow.” He left, the front door sliding closed behind him. His family watched him go through the window, seeing him climb into his sleek, expensive new hovercraft and fly away.
The mother turned away, holding her little boy’s hand tightly.
“Momma, is Papa going to come back?”
“Of course,” she assured him, her voice trembling slightly. “Tomorrow. You heard him.”
He didn’t believe her.
“This is Samantha Ashley, signing off. Join us tomorrow for the nine o’clock news, here on IHN.” The hologram spiraled back into its emitter as the program ended. The boy picked up the little silver disk without his mother noticing and slipped it into his pocket. He didn’t know why, he just felt like it was the right thing to do.
“I’m hungry,” he complained after a few moments.
His mother frowned slightly. “Hold your sister,” she told him, handing him the baby girl. “I’ll go heat up some NutriPaks.” She strode towards the kitchen, the door sliding open for her as she approached. The boy sat back down on the couch, setting his sister down next to him.
Suddenly a siren wailed. The boy ran to the window to see several missiles trailing exhaust clouds in the clear blue sky. He snatched his fingers back as a solid metal panel slammed down over the window, securing it. Every door in the house automatically locked and was reinforced with solid steel. The boy began pounding on the kitchen door, screaming for his mother. Through the metal he could faintly hear her yelling back. It took him a moment to make out the words. “The shelter!” she was screaming. “Get to the shelter!”
Tears blurred his vision as he realized that there was only one entrance to the bomb shelter, and it was in this room. The house may have been reinforced with steel, but he knew enough about bombs to know that nothing outside a shelter would survive. Crying, he ran to the couch and scooped up his sister, who was silently watching everything with wide eyes. He ran for the shelter, climbing inside and taking one last look at the world before he closed the trap door and was plunged into darkness.

Chapter 0
If you’re reading this, congratulations. It means that either you survived the bombs and the resulting fifteen years of HEAVEN!, or you’re the descendent of someone who did. I don’t know if anyone did, but I guess if they hadn’t you wouldn’t be reading this. I’ve also left this story in my memory bank, which you’ll find if you keep digging. But just in case this is found so far in the future that it doesn’t work, or you don’t know how to use it, I’m writing all this down. I hope you still know how to read.

Today, my friend was teasing me about the fact that I have to use crutches because I clumsily broke my ankle. As he pretended to be me, limping with crutches down some stairs, he fell and sprained his ankle. Now he has to use crutches too. Justice is served. MLIA

Today, my younger cousin announced his plans to live forever. I told him it was impossible. He said, "Yeah? Well so far, it's working." MLIA

Today, I was lying out on the grass reading a book in my front yard. When I looked down at my shirt, I noticed a bee on it so I immediately jumped up and started screaming and trying to get it off. A moment later I realized that the "bee" was a design on my shirt. This is the third time this has happened. MLIA