 “Attention! Attention! Attention! We have seven minutes… Attention! Attention! We have seven minutes. Attention!
Attention! We have seven minutes! We have given the alarm to the entire world. We have seven minutes! This is an alarm for
all humanity. Attention! We have seven minutes!”
As I stumbled out of the tent, I saw people moving about the place like zombies, forgetting what we had to do. The sky had
acquired a purple tone with blue hues towards the horizon. Remembering the advice they had given us, I went down on my knees
in the middle of the field while listening to the radio. I had to lie down with my arms on the floor.
My companion prayed to his God, wishing for the sun to stop punishing us for something we had not done. I thought of my family
buried somewhere in the rubble, as people called their children to be together during the last few minutes.
A man ran around the camp laughing aloud and shooting at random. Hiding my face in my hands, I remained still, hoping to be
spared the carnage. He kept on shooting as cries of pain echoed around me, and people asked for mercy.
Falling to his knees, the man sobbed,pleading with God to stop the punishment. I cried for all the times I had wasted my life
in silly things,the seconds ticking towards the unknown.
I should have visited the pyramids, the Chinese wall and the Niagara falls. Then I saw the lights dancing in the sky, as the
sun shone on us for a final time, before leaving its molecules in a cosmic cloud. On looking at the bodies strewn around the
field, I wished I could stop this nightmare.
“We have six minutes,” the radio said.
The whole of humanity had to be hugging the floor in a strange ritual, as a wave of flames formed a bridge in the sky. Then
it went down slowly before disappearing behind the mountain.
A shot echoed around me. The gunman lay at my feet, a pool of blood forming by his mouth. Lightning crisscrossed the sky,
while people ran towards the tents, thunder echoing around us.
"Five minutes," the radio said.
A pack of horses ran through the field, killing some people and injuring others. Asking for help, a man limped about the camp
before sitting by my side. After massaging his knee, he cried softly, wiping his face with a dirty handkerchief.
“It won’t be long now,” I said.
“Attention!” the radio said. “We have four minutes.”
Thunder rumbled around us, as another wave of fire appeared in the west, filling the sky with colours and noise. Holding his
leg, the man mumbled prayers with his eyes shut, awaiting the end of his suffering.
Then he started singing, his voice mixing with the roar of thunder and the cries of the dying.
"Alleluia," he said.
“We have three minutes,” the radio said.
A few people looked at the sun with dark negatives from pictures, the arch of fire covering half of the sky by now, pink clouds
rising at the sides. My childhood, teenage years, and marriage danced in front of my eyes, the clock of time marching towards
the end.
“We have two minutes.”
As I thought of the last minutes of my life, my eyes filled with tears. A reddish sun appeared from behind the clouds giving
the farewell to humankind, before the final cataclysm.
“Attention! Attention! Attention! The chain of observatories has told us Venus has exploded. Attention! The planet Venus
has exploded. We will feel the effects on our planet in a few seconds. We have to get ready.”
A brilliant light flooded the horizon, as the noise increased, and luminous fingers danced over our heads. Someone played
a drum, making me feel nostalgic for a disappearing world. Then several stars crossed through the arch of fire, getting lost
in the distance.
"One minute left."
Thunder echoed around us while the drum went on and more lights appeared in the sky. Hugging the earth for a last time, I
saw fire engulfing the clouds and everything went dark..
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