Gardens of Destruction

Jana stared at herself in the mirror, her face etched with worry.

“Not another wrinkle. At this rate, I’ll look like a pug soon.”

Jana’s voice, rising and falling like a songbird’s melody, echoed through the house, summoning her daughter.

“Val, turn off that TV right now! We’ll be late for school again,” she exclaimed, her patience wearing thin.

Valentina, her eyes glued to the screen, barely acknowledged her mother’s plea. The TV was broadcasting a live feed from a remote field, where an immense, towering structure pierced the sky, its true height obscured by the clouds. The sight was mesmerizing, a spectacle that defied explanation.

Jana, her curiosity piqued by Valentina’s fascination, reluctantly approached the living room, only to find herself halted in her tracks. The image on the screen was so alien, so utterly unlike anything she had ever witnessed, that it sent a chill down her spine. The structure was far from any known architecture, its smooth, furrowed surface gleaming ominously under the morning sun. It was as if a giant finger had reached down from the heavens and impaled the Earth, its presence a stark reminder of the vastness and mystery of the universe.

As the journalist narrated the events that had transpired, Jana’s mind reeled with disbelief.

“At ten past four this morning,” the journalist announced, her voice filled with awe, “an unidentified object crashed into the ground near Derby, North Dakota. The impact triggered low-magnitude tremors that were felt throughout the United States and Canada.”

Jana’s mind flashed back to the subtle tremor that had awakened her that morning. The jolt had been so slight, so insignificant, that she had dismissed it as a dream. Now, as she gazed upon the colossal structure on the TV screen, she realized that the tremor had been a harbinger of something far more extraordinary, far more terrifying.

“What do you say on the subject, Professor Brown?” The camera turned to a rather unsightly dressed man with glasses, whose forehead dripped a shameless trickle of sweat that cared not of the millions of viewers.

“Most scientists we’ve spoken to agree that an object of this size should have caused the end of the world if it had collided with Earth at full speed,” the journalist continued, her voice laced with trepidation.

Jana’s heart pounded in her chest as she listened to the scientist’s words. He continued.

“Imagine a rock the size of a city, moving at speeds exceeding ten kilometers per second,” the scientist explained, his voice trembling with fear.

“The collision would have unleashed a cataclysmic explosion, melting, evaporating, and discharging into the atmosphere a colossal amount of rocks. Earthquakes of magnitude more than ten on the Richter scale, landslides of continental scale, tsunamis over three hundred meters high – these are just a few of the consequences of such an impact. The impact on Earth should have been billions of times more destructive than the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. At the same time the release of sulfur, dust and soot into the atmosphere would cause a very long winter throughout the planet and destroy about half of the species. But what we see behind us seems to have never developed its full speed and a serious impact did not occur. We, as scientists, have no explanation for this, not to mention that no one had been warned by the authorities of the existence of such a giant asteroid close to Earth...”

Jana stopped listening as a wave of nausea washed over her. The scientist’s words painted a vivid picture of destruction, a scenario that defied comprehension. How could an object of such magnitude have not destroyed Earth, barely grazing its surface? And what did it mean for their future?

The journalist cut off the scientist, her voice filled with uncertainty. “The military has sealed off the area, and we have no information about casualties or destruction yet. But the question everyone is asking is this: if it’s not an asteroid, then what is it? Reporting live from the scene...”

Jana’s legs trembled as she turned off the TV, the image of the towering structure still etched in her mind. She sank onto the sofa, her head spinning with questions. “Would the world be plunged into chaos? Would she and Valentina be safe?”

Valentina, sensing her mother’s distress, reached out and took her hand. Her small, warm fingers brought a sense of comfort, a reminder of the love and strength they shared.

“What was that, Mom?” Valentina asked, her eyes wide with fear.

Jana took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

“I don’t know, Baby,” she replied honestly. “Everyone says it must be an asteroid, but no one seems to know for sure.”

Valentina’s brow furrowed in concern.

“Does that mean we’re going to die?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Jana pulled Valentina close, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

“No, honey,” she reassured her, her voice laced with determination. “No one is going to die. I’m here, and I will protect you.”

Yet beneath her words of assurance, a growing sense of dread gnawed at Jana’s heart. The day’s events shattered her sense of security, leaving her gripped with an ominous uncertainty about the future. She clung to the promise she made to Valentina, amid the mounting chaos that threatened to engulf them both.

***

In the depths of slumber, their senses were enveloped in a shroud of darkness, a realm of silence and oblivion. Yet, within this abyss of unconsciousness, their consciousness stirred, awakened by an inexplicable awareness.

“Sleep! Shock! Darkness! They felt. They knew. Another trip was completed. They traveled a long time, why did they even travel? Should they continue? Or stay. Only thoughts betrayed their questions and worries. They were not awake, not yet. There was time still. But soon!”