The End of the World

The narrative of the world's destruction and the condition of the earth.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The First Signs

The Cataclysm The Clock Stopped The clocks stopped at 1:17. A long shear of light, then low concussions. The man went to the window. Power was gone. He filled the tub with water. The Birth During the disaster, the boy was born. The man delivered him with kitchen shears. The mother was stoic. The Fires They watched distant cities burn from their window. The world was ending.

The Present World

The Ash and the Cold The Description The world is covered in ash. The sky is gray. The sun is dim. The cold is unrelenting. Everything is dead or dying. The Scavengers Refugees, roadagents, bloodcults, cannibals. The world is populated by monsters. The man and boy are the last of the good guys. The Condition 'The frailty of everything revealed at last. The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns out the light and is gone.'

The Final Image

The Memory The Brook Trout The story ends with a memory of brook trout in the mountains, a world that cannot be put back. The trout are maps of the world in its becoming. The Loss All things are older than man. The world is gone. The boy carries the memory. The Hope Though the world is dead, the boy is alive. The fire is carried. The mystery remains.

in the early years, flashback

throughout the journey

end of the story