Dad nodded and looked at me.
“What did Ted say, Davey? Did he give any indication about what’s happening?”
“Solar flare from last night is what he believes happened,” I said.
Luke grunted. “Good. Would hate to think someone would have been stupid enough to hit us with a weapon.”
Dad shook his head. “No, not good, Luke. If it were a weapon, it would be fairly localized. I suspect most of the world got hit with the effects. I wonder how far south people can see those lights. If the flare was big enough, it might have lit up the whole world.”
“How long do you think it will last?” I asked.
“Not sure,” Dad said. “Don’t really know why it’s happening.”
“Enjoy it tonight,” Luke said. “Last night, the weatherman out of Poplar Bluff said we have a storm front heading our way in the next couple of days. Clouds will make tomorrow night darker than most people are used to.”
“So what do we do now?” I asked. I didn’t really expect an answer.
“Listen to Ted,” Luke said. “He’s probably planned all of this out. I suspect he and Lester Collins both have a year’s worth of food and water stockpiled for themselves. Surprised Ted came into town to help, to be honest. Folks always treated him quite unkindly anytime he started talking about emergency planning.”
“Chicken Little is what most people said about him and Lester. Always saying the sky was going to fall and they were going to be ready when it did,” Dad added.
“I guess they were right,” I said. I tried to sound as sagely as both of the gray haired men I was sitting with. I think I succeeded because both of them nodded as they looked down at their hands.
“I guess the first thing we need to do is get the wells and privies taken care of,” Luke said after a little silence. “Then we need to worry about food.”
“Yeah, I figure we have probably three or four days per family in the cupboards and pantries around here,” Dad said.
“What about any stores? They must have some.”
“Nope, they shut up the market a few years back. And even so, they would only have a day or two worth for three thousand mouths,” Luke said.
“Stews and soups for a while,” said Dad. “We will need to stretch what we have as far as we can.”
“How fast can we grow food?” I asked. “Like beans and corn?”
“Not sure. How about it, Luke? Can we grow food fast enough?” Dad asked.
“Onions, radishes maybe. Lettuce grows pretty quick, I think. We can start seeing what vegetable seeds people have.”
“Anyone with a big garden?” I asked.
“Milton,” Dad said. “He sells crops at the farmer’s market in West Plains all the time. His garden runs five acres or so.”
“It won’t be enough to feed the town,” Luke said.
“No, but he’ll have plenty of seeds,” I said.
Luke nodded. “And he’ll know what crops we can start growing and in what order.”
“It’s getting late,” Dad said as he yawned. “I did more physical work today than I have in a long time. I need to get to sleep.”
“Mind if I crash on your couch?” Luke asked. “I’m pretty tired too and my house is a good mile away.”
“Go ahead,” Dad answered. “We are supposed to meet the others here tomorrow morning, might as well already be here.”
I stood and stretched. “I may not have reopened wells today, but I am tired just the same.”
“Night, Davey. I’m going to help Luke get settled in and will be back in a bit.”
I walked down the hall towards my old bedroom. The glowing sky cast odd shadows as I walked down a path I had taken hundreds of times. Even in the pitch black, I would have been able to traverse the way with no problems, but the shimmering light with a pale greenish hue, seemed to disorient me.
Once in the room I closed the door and sat on the bed. As I took off my shoes, my eyes fell on my old desk. The top was arranged with several pieces of high school memorabilia. The tassel from my graduation cap hung on the corner of a framed picture of my senior photo. I always carried a pack of gum in my front shirt pocket and… my pocket watch.
I stood and opened the top drawer of the desk. Inside was a jumble of items, most of which I never remembered owning. But near the bottom of that pile was a pocket watch. Or should be.
I rooted around until I found it. It was a simple pocket watch. My grandfather had bought it for me when I was ten years old. I carried it with me until I went to college.
I pressed the button that opened the case. Inside was a photo of me and my grandfather on my tenth birthday. He passed away of a heart attack two weeks after that day. It’s why the watch had meant so much to me.
How many years had it been since I had thought about him for more than a passing moment? How many years had it been since I felt the sadness I remembered as a child for his passing?
I pulled out on the button a bit and wound the watch. As I was still winding, I heard the comforting sound of the watch start running. The mechanical aspect of the watch was affected by the EMP as much as a hinge on a door was.
I smiled as I realized what we needed to do was focus on what still worked and not despair over what didn’t. If I could keep accurate time by winding a watch, what else could we do if we just stepped back a few decades and did things as they used to be done?
I undressed for bed as I considered that. For all of the concern and uncertainty, my dad and his friends got things accomplished today. They may have been worried, but they did more than worry. They did something. I feared my generation and the ones that followed liked to talk about what we would do, or should do, but we rarely did anything.
I finished winding the watch and set it on the desk. Sleep beckoned to me and I undressed and slipped under the covers. A few minutes later I heard my dad walk down the hallway and go into his bedroom.
I lay there and listened to the sounds around me. The sound of my dad moving about in his room. Luke trying to get comfortable in the living room. I listened for the sounds of the animals, but there were none. Last night the lights caused them to go wild. Tonight it seemed as if the animals felt too tired to make noise. It was quiet except for the ticking of my watch.
I drifted off considering that. A small sound in a quiet place grows in volume, it seems. The sound brought back memories of my grandfather. And then thoughts of Lexi and Emma. I had tried not to think of them all day. I hoped they were alright. I prayed somehow Chicago was spared this event. I knew there was nothing I could do, so I tried not to worry about them.
I drifted asleep trying not to worry. My dreams took me to them. I saw my greatest hopes and my greatest fears for them played out. And I walked and talked with my grandfather.
Chapter 6
I woke the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee. It took me a few minutes to orient myself to where I was and what had happened.
Emma and Lexi had been in my dreams. They were calling for help, but I couldn’t find them.
Tears welled up in my eyes as the emotions of the dreams still lingered. After a quick prayer for their safety, I rolled out of bed and got dressed.
I needed a shower, but knew that wasn’t going to happen, so I made my way into the kitchen and waved at Dad. He was flipping through a notebook when I came in. Mom was cooking at the stove. I wasn’t sure how much liquid propane was in the old tank out back, but I was grateful Mom still had the ability to make breakfast for us.
“David,” Mom said as I approached the table. “I have eggs and bacon and some hash browns. I’ll get you some coffee, but it will have to be black. We don’t have any milk, but that’s probably for the best as the refrigerator isn’t working.”