Strange Beginnings by Treesong
somehow, she had.
Sarah's heart was still racing as she scanned her surroundings. The formerly airborne sedan sat motionless in the street just a few feet in front of her. It was mostly intact, aside from a shattered windshield and some compression of the front end of the frame.
The other half-dozen people in the crosswalk behind her slowly emerged from their own protective stances and stared at the car in wonder. An old man on the other side of the intersection was looking back and forth between Sarah and the car, his eyes and mouth wide in wonder. After a few moments, he started clapping slowly. Soon, everyone around the intersection joined him.
“How did you do that?”
Sarah looked down at her hands, dumbfounded.
“I don't know. I didn't even touch it. I—” She looked back at the car, wiping the sweat from her brow. “I guess I just willed it to stop.” She shook her head in disbelief, turning back to the old man across the street. “I really stopped it?”
The old man nodded and started walking toward her slowly. “Lady, that old junker was about to rip your head off and land across the street. You stopped it in midair. Damnedest thing I ever seen.”
“Really?” Sarah turned back to the wreckage, shaking her head again. “I wish I'd kept my eyes open.”
The people around her burst into uneasy laughter. Sarah's heart was still racing, but she chuckled too.
“Is everyone all right?”
The bystanders looked around. Nobody seemed hurt. The car had landed in the street without hitting anyone. The driver stepped out of the car and examined it carefully, looking even more confused than the people in the crosswalk.
Sarah and a few of the other pedestrians walked around the car slowly, making sure that no one had been crushed beneath it. After a few minutes, several police cars and an ambulance arrived, followed by a news van.
An officer with a notepad stepped out of the nearest police car. He spoke first with the driver of the Dynasty, then with a few of the other pedestrians. Finally, he shook his head, took a deep breath, and walked over to Sarah.
“Ma'am, I'm Officer Harold of the Gorton Police Department. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Sarah laughed nervously. “Sure, why not?”
Officer Harold nodded. “Your name?”
“Sarah Athraigh. Sarah with an H, Athraigh with an A-T-H-R-A-I-G-H. You can call me Sarah.”
“Alright, Sarah. Can I see some ID?”
Sarah pulled out her wallet and showed the officer her driver's license. He wrote down her name and address in his notebook before handing the license back to her.
“Got it.” He paused, lowering the notepad and looking Sarah in the eye. “Look, Sarah, I'm not going to lie here. I'm a little skeptical about what these other people are telling me. So I'd like you to tell me, in your own words, what happened here.”
Sarah laughed. “I wish I knew, Officer. I was just crossing the street, when suddenly this car crashed through the railing on the overpass. I covered my head, closed my eyes, and figured I was about to get hit. But then it just stopped.”
“Huh. Just stopped?”
“In mid-air. I had my eyes closed, but in my mind's eye, I just saw the car stopping in mid-air — and it did!” She looked at the damaged car, then back at Officer Harold with another nervous laugh. “Officer, that car was about to plow right through me. But somehow, something stopped it. I don't know if it was something I did, or divine intervention, or what. But whatever it was, it saved my life.”
Officer Harold nodded slowly. “Well, that's what they said too.” He looked at her, then over at the car, then back at her again. “And where were you standing when the accident happened?”
Sarah looked down at the ground. “Right around here, officer. I took a quick look around the car to make sure everyone was all right, but then I came back to this spot.”
Office Harold shook his head with a sigh. “Alright, Sarah.”
He handed her a business card. “Here's my card. If you think of anything else — anything at all — please give us a call.”
“Okay. Thanks, Officer.”
Officer Harold started walking away, then turned back to her. “Oh, I almost forgot. There's a reporter here. Do you want to talk to her, or should I tell her to back off?”
Sarah thought about it for a moment. “It's fine, Officer. I'll go ahead and talk to her.”
Officer Harold shrugged. “Alright, then.” He turned away, reading his notebook and shaking his head as he walked back to his patrol car.
The reporter was a young woman in her mid-twenties with shoulder-length blond hair and a black suit coat and skirt. She talked to a few of the other witnesses before walking up to Sarah, followed by her cameraman.
“Hi there! I'm Jenny Goodman with Channel 3 news. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Sarah smiled. “Sure, go ahead.”
Jenny turned to the cameraman, and he raised his camera and pointed it at Sarah. Sarah smiled, adjusting her long black ponytail and green T-shirt as Jenny turned on the microphone.
“Okay, can you start by telling us your name and where you're from?”
“Sarah Athraigh from Gorton, Illinois.”
“Okay, Sarah.” Jenny paused, looking down at her notes. “Sarah, people on the scene of this accident are saying that what they witnessed today was a miracle. Do you agree? Was this a miracle?”
Sarah smiled, shaking her head slightly in exasperation. “I really don't know, Jenny. It happened so fast, and I don't know how to explain it.”
“Witnesses say the car stopped in mid-air, just short of hitting you. Is that what really happened?”
“I think so.” She paused for a moment, thinking back to the accident. ”I closed my eyes when it was about to hit me. When I opened my eyes, it had stopped short and dropped to the ground. It definitely stopped in mid-air.”
“Did the car hit you?”
“No.” She paused again, looking over at the crumpled front end of the car. “I just visualized it stopping, and it stopped.”
“Wow. That's... wow.” Jenny laughed. “Sorry, I've just never covered a story like this before. I wish we had video of the accident!”
Sarah shrugged. “It all happened so fast, I doubt anyone caught it on video.”
“That's what everyone else said, too.” She looked at her watch, then nodded at the cameraman. “Anyway, Sarah, I've got to go get this to my producer in time for the 6 o'clock news. Can I get your number in case we have any more questions?”
“Sure.”
After the two women exchanged numbers, Jenny said a quick goodbye and rushed off to her news van with cameraman in tow. Sarah looked around the accident scene for a few more moments, then glanced down at her watch.
“Late again.”
Sarah looked around to see if anyone else had any questions for her. A few people who had been staring at her turned away when she looked at them, but no one was making any motions to approach her. After another quick glance at her watch, she looked both ways and finished crossing the street. Once she reached the far side of the street, she looked back over her shoulder for a moment, examining the accident scene one last time. Then, she shook her head and kept walking.
Sample Chapter: Goodbye Miami
Goodbye, Miami
June 10, 2030 at 11:23
Goodbye, Miami.
My name’s Kass and I’m a survivor of Hurricane Florence. Needless to say, I just had the craziest weekend in my whole entire life.
On June 6, 2030, a Category 5 hurricane made landfall in southern Florida. Even with modern disaster protocols in place, it’ll still take weeks to figure out just how many people were killed and how much property was destroyed. Early estimates suggest that at least 700 people died in the storm itself and many more died in the aftermath. Tens of thousands of others have been displaced by storm damage. A hundred times that number will ultimately be displaced permanently if state and federal officials can’t find a way to deal with t
he flooding and power outages.
Unless Homeland Security has a fifty billion gallon Shop-Vac, there’s nothing they can do.
The city of Miami is currently underwater. Of course, everyone on Fox News says that we’re being alarmists. “It’s only a few feet,” they say. “It’ll be cleaned up in no time,” they say. “There are still some dry spots,” they say.
But I’ve lived in Miami my whole life. I’ve also been reading about global warming since I was a little girl. Sea level keeps rising faster and faster. I’ve been saying for years now that this was going to happen. It was only a matter of time. There’s no getting that water out of there permanently and no chance for a real recovery if most of the city is underwater.
And so, just like that, Miami has fallen, and I’ve become an American climate refugee.
They have a FEMA camp farther inland for the refugees with nowhere else to go. Luckily, though, I have a cousin in Illinois who’s taking me in as her roommate. Illinois isn’t really my cup of tea, but it beats going to a FEMA camp. And Alejandra es mi chica favorita, so there’s that. I haven’t seen her offline in years! I’m really looking forward to seeing her smiling face again. She’s like the sister I never had.
Anyway, I’m getting really tired. It’s been an exhausting weekend and this train is so much more comfortable than the bus was. I’ll post more about my crazy weekend next time. In the meantime, all my thoughts and prayers go out to the other survivors and the only city I’ve ever called home.
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Sarah's heart was still racing as she scanned her surroundings. The formerly airborne sedan sat motionless in the street just a few feet in front of her. It was mostly intact, aside from a shattered windshield and some compression of the front end of the frame.
The other half-dozen people in the crosswalk behind her slowly emerged from their own protective stances and stared at the car in wonder. An old man on the other side of the intersection was looking back and forth between Sarah and the car, his eyes and mouth wide in wonder. After a few moments, he started clapping slowly. Soon, everyone around the intersection joined him.
“How did you do that?”
Sarah looked down at her hands, dumbfounded.
“I don't know. I didn't even touch it. I—” She looked back at the car, wiping the sweat from her brow. “I guess I just willed it to stop.” She shook her head in disbelief, turning back to the old man across the street. “I really stopped it?”
The old man nodded and started walking toward her slowly. “Lady, that old junker was about to rip your head off and land across the street. You stopped it in midair. Damnedest thing I ever seen.”
“Really?” Sarah turned back to the wreckage, shaking her head again. “I wish I'd kept my eyes open.”
The people around her burst into uneasy laughter. Sarah's heart was still racing, but she chuckled too.
“Is everyone all right?”
The bystanders looked around. Nobody seemed hurt. The car had landed in the street without hitting anyone. The driver stepped out of the car and examined it carefully, looking even more confused than the people in the crosswalk.
Sarah and a few of the other pedestrians walked around the car slowly, making sure that no one had been crushed beneath it. After a few minutes, several police cars and an ambulance arrived, followed by a news van.
An officer with a notepad stepped out of the nearest police car. He spoke first with the driver of the Dynasty, then with a few of the other pedestrians. Finally, he shook his head, took a deep breath, and walked over to Sarah.
“Ma'am, I'm Officer Harold of the Gorton Police Department. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Sarah laughed nervously. “Sure, why not?”
Officer Harold nodded. “Your name?”
“Sarah Athraigh. Sarah with an H, Athraigh with an A-T-H-R-A-I-G-H. You can call me Sarah.”
“Alright, Sarah. Can I see some ID?”
Sarah pulled out her wallet and showed the officer her driver's license. He wrote down her name and address in his notebook before handing the license back to her.
“Got it.” He paused, lowering the notepad and looking Sarah in the eye. “Look, Sarah, I'm not going to lie here. I'm a little skeptical about what these other people are telling me. So I'd like you to tell me, in your own words, what happened here.”
Sarah laughed. “I wish I knew, Officer. I was just crossing the street, when suddenly this car crashed through the railing on the overpass. I covered my head, closed my eyes, and figured I was about to get hit. But then it just stopped.”
“Huh. Just stopped?”
“In mid-air. I had my eyes closed, but in my mind's eye, I just saw the car stopping in mid-air — and it did!” She looked at the damaged car, then back at Officer Harold with another nervous laugh. “Officer, that car was about to plow right through me. But somehow, something stopped it. I don't know if it was something I did, or divine intervention, or what. But whatever it was, it saved my life.”
Officer Harold nodded slowly. “Well, that's what they said too.” He looked at her, then over at the car, then back at her again. “And where were you standing when the accident happened?”
Sarah looked down at the ground. “Right around here, officer. I took a quick look around the car to make sure everyone was all right, but then I came back to this spot.”
Office Harold shook his head with a sigh. “Alright, Sarah.”
He handed her a business card. “Here's my card. If you think of anything else — anything at all — please give us a call.”
“Okay. Thanks, Officer.”
Officer Harold started walking away, then turned back to her. “Oh, I almost forgot. There's a reporter here. Do you want to talk to her, or should I tell her to back off?”
Sarah thought about it for a moment. “It's fine, Officer. I'll go ahead and talk to her.”
Officer Harold shrugged. “Alright, then.” He turned away, reading his notebook and shaking his head as he walked back to his patrol car.
The reporter was a young woman in her mid-twenties with shoulder-length blond hair and a black suit coat and skirt. She talked to a few of the other witnesses before walking up to Sarah, followed by her cameraman.
“Hi there! I'm Jenny Goodman with Channel 3 news. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Sarah smiled. “Sure, go ahead.”
Jenny turned to the cameraman, and he raised his camera and pointed it at Sarah. Sarah smiled, adjusting her long black ponytail and green T-shirt as Jenny turned on the microphone.
“Okay, can you start by telling us your name and where you're from?”
“Sarah Athraigh from Gorton, Illinois.”
“Okay, Sarah.” Jenny paused, looking down at her notes. “Sarah, people on the scene of this accident are saying that what they witnessed today was a miracle. Do you agree? Was this a miracle?”
Sarah smiled, shaking her head slightly in exasperation. “I really don't know, Jenny. It happened so fast, and I don't know how to explain it.”
“Witnesses say the car stopped in mid-air, just short of hitting you. Is that what really happened?”
“I think so.” She paused for a moment, thinking back to the accident. ”I closed my eyes when it was about to hit me. When I opened my eyes, it had stopped short and dropped to the ground. It definitely stopped in mid-air.”
“Did the car hit you?”
“No.” She paused again, looking over at the crumpled front end of the car. “I just visualized it stopping, and it stopped.”
“Wow. That's... wow.” Jenny laughed. “Sorry, I've just never covered a story like this before. I wish we had video of the accident!”
Sarah shrugged. “It all happened so fast, I doubt anyone caught it on video.”
“That's what everyone else said, too.” She looked at her watch, then nodded at the cameraman. “Anyway, Sarah, I've got to go get this to my producer in time for the 6 o'clock news. Can I get your number in case we have any more questions?”
“Sure.”
After the two women exchanged numbers, Jenny said a quick goodbye and rushed off to her news van with cameraman in tow. Sarah looked around the accident scene for a few more moments, then glanced down at her watch.
“Late again.”
Sarah looked around to see if anyone else had any questions for her. A few people who had been staring at her turned away when she looked at them, but no one was making any motions to approach her. After another quick glance at her watch, she looked both ways and finished crossing the street. Once she reached the far side of the street, she looked back over her shoulder for a moment, examining the accident scene one last time. Then, she shook her head and kept walking.
Sample Chapter: Goodbye Miami
Goodbye, Miami
June 10, 2030 at 11:23
Goodbye, Miami.
My name’s Kass and I’m a survivor of Hurricane Florence. Needless to say, I just had the craziest weekend in my whole entire life.
On June 6, 2030, a Category 5 hurricane made landfall in southern Florida. Even with modern disaster protocols in place, it’ll still take weeks to figure out just how many people were killed and how much property was destroyed. Early estimates suggest that at least 700 people died in the storm itself and many more died in the aftermath. Tens of thousands of others have been displaced by storm damage. A hundred times that number will ultimately be displaced permanently if state and federal officials can’t find a way to deal with t
Unless Homeland Security has a fifty billion gallon Shop-Vac, there’s nothing they can do.
The city of Miami is currently underwater. Of course, everyone on Fox News says that we’re being alarmists. “It’s only a few feet,” they say. “It’ll be cleaned up in no time,” they say. “There are still some dry spots,” they say.
But I’ve lived in Miami my whole life. I’ve also been reading about global warming since I was a little girl. Sea level keeps rising faster and faster. I’ve been saying for years now that this was going to happen. It was only a matter of time. There’s no getting that water out of there permanently and no chance for a real recovery if most of the city is underwater.
And so, just like that, Miami has fallen, and I’ve become an American climate refugee.
They have a FEMA camp farther inland for the refugees with nowhere else to go. Luckily, though, I have a cousin in Illinois who’s taking me in as her roommate. Illinois isn’t really my cup of tea, but it beats going to a FEMA camp. And Alejandra es mi chica favorita, so there’s that. I haven’t seen her offline in years! I’m really looking forward to seeing her smiling face again. She’s like the sister I never had.
Anyway, I’m getting really tired. It’s been an exhausting weekend and this train is so much more comfortable than the bus was. I’ll post more about my crazy weekend next time. In the meantime, all my thoughts and prayers go out to the other survivors and the only city I’ve ever called home.