Lightning flashed across the sky. Terrifying cracks of thunder rumbled as the gloom of evening closed in. “Face it.” Hugh Mann shouted over the clamor. “We’re lost! If we don’t find shelter soon…” His voice was lost in the din. “Look!” Ima Pearson pointed. “Isn’t that a house? Run!”
Ima and Hugh reached the porch just as the first sheets of rain began pouring down. They huddled together and wondered if they’d survive the night. Ima tried the doorlatch. It opened revealing a dank and gloomy hallway lined with doors.
Creeping down the hallway, they reached the first darkened door. Its placard read “Resource Depletion.” BOOM! Another ear-splitting crack of thunder almost made them jump out of their skins. They crept on to a door that read “Mass Extinctions” then slunk past “Plastic & Chemical Pollution” and “Climate Change.” “This place gives me the creeps,” Hugh shivered. “We can’t stay here, can we? I’m about ready to give up.”
“Wait.” Ima shushed. “Look at that door at the end of the hallway. Isn’t that a light shining under it?” They made their way to “Active Hope”* and slipped in.
The brightly lit room was comfortable and cheery. Looking around, Ima opened a closet. Curiously, there hung a selection of cloaks. One was labeled “Catch an Inspiration.” Ima slipped it around her shoulders. In an instant, she was certain they’d make it through the dark night. “Here,” she said, and handed a cloak labeled “Dare to Believe” to Hugh. Donning it, Hugh nodded. “Oh yeah…no sweat. We’ll get through the night just fine.”
The adjacent tall, narrow cupboard held a collection of staffs. Hugh hefted one labeled “Gather Community.” It fit his grip perfectly. Ima found one called “Strength in Uncertainty.” As she held it she was reminded that the future is not yet written. “Ah yes,” she smiled, “We, all of us, are the ones the world has been waiting for.”
Comforted by the cloaks and staffs, Hugh and Ima lie down and were soon asleep. In the morning they marched confidently past the “tricky eco-issues” doors on into the morning sunlight. “No throwing in the towel for us,” Ima declared. “It’s too important, so we’ll carry on together because this is the only home we’ll ever know. It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
*”Active Hope” by Macy & Johnson
Ima and Hugh reached the porch just as the first sheets of rain began pouring down. They huddled together and wondered if they’d survive the night. Ima tried the doorlatch. It opened revealing a dank and gloomy hallway lined with doors.
Creeping down the hallway, they reached the first darkened door. Its placard read “Resource Depletion.” BOOM! Another ear-splitting crack of thunder almost made them jump out of their skins. They crept on to a door that read “Mass Extinctions” then slunk past “Plastic & Chemical Pollution” and “Climate Change.” “This place gives me the creeps,” Hugh shivered. “We can’t stay here, can we? I’m about ready to give up.”
“Wait.” Ima shushed. “Look at that door at the end of the hallway. Isn’t that a light shining under it?” They made their way to “Active Hope”* and slipped in.
The brightly lit room was comfortable and cheery. Looking around, Ima opened a closet. Curiously, there hung a selection of cloaks. One was labeled “Catch an Inspiration.” Ima slipped it around her shoulders. In an instant, she was certain they’d make it through the dark night. “Here,” she said, and handed a cloak labeled “Dare to Believe” to Hugh. Donning it, Hugh nodded. “Oh yeah…no sweat. We’ll get through the night just fine.”
The adjacent tall, narrow cupboard held a collection of staffs. Hugh hefted one labeled “Gather Community.” It fit his grip perfectly. Ima found one called “Strength in Uncertainty.” As she held it she was reminded that the future is not yet written. “Ah yes,” she smiled, “We, all of us, are the ones the world has been waiting for.”
Comforted by the cloaks and staffs, Hugh and Ima lie down and were soon asleep. In the morning they marched confidently past the “tricky eco-issues” doors on into the morning sunlight. “No throwing in the towel for us,” Ima declared. “It’s too important, so we’ll carry on together because this is the only home we’ll ever know. It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
*”Active Hope” by Macy & Johnson
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