What Happened to Kari

Months had passed following the annihilation of the world. Nearly all life, from plant to animal, was taken away. Billions of men, women, and children ceased to exist that day.

A brief but horrifying scene, those who lived to tell of it often did not. Of the few who did, all spoke of how the bright afternoon sky vanished in an instant. A heavy blackness covered every inch of the planet at once as if God himself wrapped his fist around it and squeezed.

Minutes later, everything was gone. The devastation was so perfectly complete that the face of the world was literally wiped out. No one knew what had happened, and investigations lead in circles. Theories abound, of course, with some believing an asteroid had struck the planet. Others thought it may have been a massive nuclear attack. However, with the planet as a whole being affected almost totally, that was unlikely. Most alarming, whole mountain ranges were now gone, and bodies of water had shifted into new global positions. Though it was the same world as the day before, it was now wearing a stranger's face.

Something truly horrible had happened, and a growing fear was that it may not be over.

As that day passed further and further away, the survivors found and worked with each other to build back what they had lost. At first, their efforts felt wasted. Demoralization spread quickly. Some, however, were able to rise to the occasion and take control, to lead those who could not.

With intense perseverance, through much blood, sweat, and endless tears, the survivors were able to start rebuilding what had been ripped away from them in the blink of an eye.

The gift of time led the people to create and build upon the canvas of the planet. Resources were scarce, but tenacity brought rise to new industries and innovations. Many took this opportunity not just to build back but to build back something greater than before.

"A clean slate! That's what we're working with," Lonnie Nash told his son and daughter. On an almost daily basis, he spoke these very words, if not to his own children, than to others around him. His optimism was infectious. These days, it was an infection worth having.

But behind the smile and cheerful demeanor, Lonnie tried to hide the trauma of that moment. Though his children remembered very little of that day, Lonnie remembered it all. And he wanted desperately to forget.

But everyone who survived had to face the Hell of memories that could not be erased. They remembered in vivid detail everything they were doing up to the moment it all went away.

For Lonnie, it was a rare moment where he and his wife Kari found time alone. They had both taken the day off, hoping to spend the afternoon away from their daily routine. The only trouble they had was deciding what to do.

After a bit of debate, the two finally came to a compromise. They decided to spend part of the day at the Summer Quon Community Park. The park's grounds featured a large open area that couples and families would often use for playing games, get-togethers, and the occasional picnic. This was one such occasion.

Lonnie and Kari couldn't remember the last time they were able to just sit like this and enjoy each other's company. Both of them had hectic work lives. A month prior, Kari became the newest partner in one of the top accountancy firms in the country. As exciting as the achievement was, they knew that this would only further reduce their time together.

But Lonnie tried not to think about that, and he didn't dare bring it up. He didn't want his wife to feel as if her success was negatively impacting their relationship. He knew that if Kari got even a hint of his concern, she would likely leave her position. Financially, this wouldn't be a good move, but it wasn't just that they needed the money. Kari spent years working for that company. She lost more late nights and weekends to that place than she could count. She earned her position, and there was no way Lonnie would do anything to take that away from her.

So Lonnie said nothing. Instead, he picked up the slack in places Kari could not. He took care of the kids, cleaned the house, and worked from home. When Kari was home, Lonnie would always give her the loving smile she deserved. This was his wife, someone who he cared deeply about, and if he had to hide how overwhelmed he was to make sure she was happy, he was going to do that.

The time they spent in the park was perfectly engrained in Lonnie's brain. He could remember nearly every detail. He even remembered the way Kari's eyes sparkled as she looked out onto the calm water of the pond to her right. Even the shape of her beautiful smile was kept fresh in mind, a memory he tried to pin a stopping point in and capture forever. This was how he wanted to remember Kari.

The ungodly force that shook the ground beneath them launched the couple into the air, separating them by nearly 300 yards. When he landed, Lonnie tried to stand. His left foot was broken. He screamed for Kari, but there was no response. None, except the loud bass-filled sound that came from the west. Whatever it was, it was coming quickly.

Lonnie screamed for his wife. Still nothing. He hobbled forward, trying to reach the area they were picnicking at, but nothing looked the same. The benches, trees, everything was either destroyed or simply gone. The water of the pond was quickly receding back into the crater it usually occupied. Somehow, it had been knocked out of the ground.

And that's when he saw her. Kari was being washed away, pulled in with the current as the pond tried to reclaim its natural position. Lonnie struggled to follow. His wife wasn't a great swimmer, and Lonnie knew what could happen if he didn't reach her in time. He prayed for help, begging God not to let her drown.

And she didn't.

The ground shook again, shifting the flow of the water and knocking Lonnie down again. He tumbled forward as Kari was washed away toward the street. The typically calm pond was now a wave, headed toward the side of a bank. Lonnie watched as the water crashed his wife into the wall before pouring itself around the building and down a side street.

Kari was left lying on the sidewalk, nearly a quarter-mile away. Lonnie screamed for her as he got up and tried to head in her direction. But something happened. Somehow, the pond water had come back and dropped on top of Lonnie. Even today, he can't figure out how that happened.

Lonnie felt like he was submerged for hours, but the whole event took only seconds before another shake of the ground caused the water to pour away. When he stood up, most of the buildings were lying in a pile of rubble where they once stood. The bank, however, was still there, and so was Kari.

Driven by love, Lonnie stood on his broken foot and tried to move quickly in her direction. He didn't care about the pain, which rose to an agonizing level with each step he took. Lonnie fought through it, giving everything he had to reach her. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Before he could make it halfway, the darkness came. It dropped down, cloaking Kari's side of the street. An earth-shattering noise shrieked out as the darkness devoured everything in front of him in the blink of an eye. Nothing, not the rubble nor the bank nor his wife, were there. All of it was gone.

Lonnie's mind wasn't able to cope with what he had seen, and it did the only thing he could think of: stopped. When he woke up, Lonnie didn't know where he was. A small group of people had found him and taken him to get medical attention. After helping to set his foot as best as they could, Lonnie tried to leave. He had to get to his kids. Two people decided to go with him. They gave him a piece of debris from a building's water line to use as a crutch before leaving.

Two days went into the search for his children. Other survivors were found, sometimes individually, while others were in smaller groups. His children were among one of those groups, still with the babysitter who managed to keep them safe through the whole ordeal. Lonnie told her he'd have to give her a big tip but that it was looking like they may need to reinvent money first before he can do that. Even then, he was trying to keep a happy face in front of the pain and anguish he felt after losing the love of his life.

Lonnie never knew what had happened. He always feared that it may happen again. Many felt that way. Sometimes they would speak to the sky, asking God to please protect them as they apologized for whatever transgression they had made to warrant such anger. Sadly, they never received an answer.

Many believed that they would never find out what truly happened that day when the ground shook and the world drowned briefly under its own oceans. Why had this occurred? Why did so many have to die?

Where did the mountains go?

But what if they knew the answers to the questions? Would it help? If they realized that this only happened by chance, would it make them feel any better? Likely not. If they knew that all of those people who died, people like Kari, were literally crushed and wiped from the face of this planet, would it give them closure? Or would it only provide them with nightmares forever?

Maybe it's better this way. At least they can go on for a time, not knowing that their complete existence remains on the grime found on a heart-shaped locket Jim Shelton found in his grandmother's old jewelry box. A locket, which he recently tried to clean under warm water, and a cloth that he wiped across the face of it. He nearly got it all too, but don't worry.

He'll get the rest of it tomorrow.