The Beginning of the End

Civil war waged in America throughout the years 2040 through 2058. In a desperate effort to at last form a peace treaty the governors of all fifty states met in New York and re-divided the country into fifteen independent nations and dissolved the United States of America. This was after the Federal government went bankrupt from overspending and widespread corruption.

The northeast now consisted of four independent nations: from south to north, New Jersey and Pennsylvania combined to form a nation, New York retained its borders and became a nation, and the remaining states to the east and north of New York with the exception of Maine (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire) joined economies to form one nation. Other states, as was the case with New York and Maine, retained their borders but became independent nations: Florida became a nation unto itself, California remained and so did Texas, Hawaii, and Alaska. The rest of the former country was divvied up with many states combining territories to form independent nations, totaling 15 nations in all. It was a far cry from the relatively peaceful country that had existed in the 2030s and 2020s, before the second coming of Christ in the form of a woman to rule the entire world.

The days of Congress trapped in bitter bipartisan fights had now ended. The seeds of discontent, with the frequent changing of figure heads and the once peaceful transition of power, went by the wayside. Politicians became so corrupt that there was a growing lack of faith in democracy. The second coming of Christ, born once again to a virgin, this time in Brooklyn, NY. Even the Archangel Gabrielle visited the young woman in a dream and told her she was the chosen one, chosen by God, to be mother to the next leader of the world. And though war raged in America through this momentous event, the child survived to become of age to rule.

There were no longer conservatives and liberals. There were instead believers in the second coming and nonbelievers. Among those who dissented were those that put earnings and GDP above the health and well-being of the citizenry. The second coming ignited a fiery war around the world. Death and destruction were everywhere, including the former USA. Masses of people seemingly lost their minds with this, the most significant event in humanity in over two thousand years. People thought it was the end of the world. But it was only the beginning. It was the dawn of a new era, in which all religions around the world would eventually unite under a new enlightenment. But for now, chaos reigned. Guns and looting and distrust prevailed.

It was very dangerous for the new ruler, appointed by God. Once she turned eighteen, she took her rightful place as Queen of the world. Her Highness was recognized by figureheads around the world, and her coming brought great joy to the people. Her name, Helena, was also chosen by God. It came to Esther, her Mother, in a dream. She would travel all over the Earth, to nations far and wide, to spread her message of peace. She went nation by nation, performing miracles and winning over doubters. She encouraged sinners to repent their sins and promised escape from eternal damnation. And sinners repented like crazy. Wherever Helena set down her feet and visited people of different languages and backgrounds, she healed their hearts and negotiated peace between dissenters. But world peace would take decades to achieve. There were so many factions in so many nations that were fighting.

Helena was very beautiful. She had long, straight black hair and distinctive features. Golden skin, almost Asian eyes. No doubt, she was the result of the comingling of races, the best and strongest of features resembling a diverse mix of ethnicities. She was made by God, who chose the former USA to be the birthplace of this blessed being. And God couldn’t of chosen a more necessary time to send His emissary. This once great nation had eventually defunded the local police forces in its wealthiest cities. Vigilante justice was the order of the day.

The world financial system had long ago failed, with many people dying from hunger and desperation in what was once considered the worst pandemic of hunger that the world had ever seen. Now there was one world with many disparate groups joining forces to defend their way of life. Where once nations cooperated and enjoyed relatively good stability, even prospered; the 2050s was a time of desperate suffering, especially in the developed nations. People hoarded gas and groceries and other necessities, which they obtained by trading digitally or simply by stealing. Paper money proved ineffectual in the long run. Federally backed dollars were no longer a guarantee of payment. So people carried gold as security as well as their gun and their credit chip.

The notion of classes had dissolved, but some people clearly benefitted from the new economy more than others; however, everyone suffered and would do anything to defend their family and protect their young. These were dangerous times. People didn’t really travel for pleasure. But Helena defied convention. She emanated so much goodness and happiness and strength and courage, people simply loved her and honored her above all else wherever she went. She dressed simply and lived among the poor. Around her slender neck was a gold heart-shaped locket with a picture of her mother hidden inside. It was given to her at birth by her dear Godmother and was blessed by the Pope. When Helena wished to perform a miracle, she simply rubbed and then kissed the locket around her neck, and God never failed her.

Word spread of Helena’s magical necklace and people sought her out from far and wide wishing to witness her next miracle. As destitute as her neighbors were, and so tempted to steal the golden treasure from around her neck, no one ever stole it from her out of respect and hope. Until one day, it fell from her neck and was lost forever. Word spread that the miracle-giving necklace was lost, and many people searched far and wide for it. Alas, it never turned up. The truth was, God thought that she was relying too heavily on its powers. He took the golden trinket and hid it in a field for someone—but not just anyone—to find. Her future husband would find it. And they would have a child, an heir, who would unite the world. But this was the future.

Helena was devastated because she felt that she had let down God, her Father. And this upset her more than the loss of the necklace, which she understood to be just a material item, not magic. Only God bestowed miracles. God saw how sad Helena had become and forgave her. And He explained to her that she must continue her mission to unite the world and usher in a new era of true equity and world peace. There would still be suffering and death and loss, but masses of people would unite by acquiring a deep faith, even though Helena’s miracles would be fewer and farther between. And finally, as her mission progressed, Helena realized that only those who believed and cultivated the faith could witness her miracles. This made it even more difficult to win over nonbelievers. It would take a lifetime to win the hearts of the entire human population, or what remained of it after the many wars that continued to erupt around the globe.

Despite the many challenges and dangers, Helena kept the faith and encouraged nonbelievers, some of whom threatened to kill her, to set down their weapons and discuss their concerns in a civilized manner. This was incredibly difficult. She understood that she faced brushes with death every day of her life. And the odds of survival of her future child, who would inherit the Earth, were not promising. But this would be her life and she accepted her fate. Without knowing what lay ahead, she set her head up high and vowed to devote her life to the people she served, the people of Earth. And though it would take many years and many risks, she would achieve her objective only after a lifetime of effort.