Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse(18)
Thing of it is, you only ever see one elephant, you think that all they have. One elephant making endless patrols around they rubble wall. What you don’t see is they has two more, they tusks made up to look all they same. And when you pick yourself up from they boat bottom, and stare at they three elephants, Na’Talie looking as fierce as they day she did when she left, showing off she tusks, you scream. I screamed loud enough to wake Momma from death, but her did not come to see she girls fight.
They three elephants swam through they dark water, one straight into Jen’s boat, another straight into mine. And this swan boat, it had been a hard-working craft, but wasn’t made to take no elephant head across its bow. They boat splintered, spilling me and Robert into they deep-deep.
Was strange, that water. So quiet and calm beneath they choppy surface. I could see they elephant legs paddling my way, looking almost serene as it came for me. That head dipped under they water, beady eyes narrowing, trunk expelling bubbled breath. Blind in they froth, I swore I could feel Momma’s bony hand around my ankle. Wasn’t nothing but a weed, self told self, but that weed gave me a tug and wanted to see me drown.
Elephant was on me, trunk wrapping my arm, and I heard Na’Talie screaming in her warrior voice that no one would take she wall, she elephants, she land. Felt like my lungs would burst, then thought they did, because they entire world exploded. Was blown straight out of they deep-deep and flying, as I watched in wonder fire blossoming against they night, bringing they wall down. And Jen and Beth, they airborne! Beth shrieked with laughter, burning sticks clutched in him hands.
Everywhere was fire and raining deep-deep and flying rubble wall and, oh Momma, they ducks. They ducks blew up with everything else Jen had set on fire; one explosion led to another, and another, and it was forever I was watching they ducks vomit into they sky on clouds of fire. When I fell back into they deep-deep, was a hard slap to my entire body. Then, it rained ducks, and ducks, and when I could at last see again, was my own angry face shining right back in they round lenses, dreadlock crown bobbing.
We swam to they first steady thing: an elephant surrounded by bobbing, yellow ducks. We climbed on that broad back and swam they elephant round and round. Swam to they gates blown off they wall and crawled off, and watched Na’Talie flounder in they deep-deep. Her didn’t want to be with Momma no more than I did. Made Robert stay and hollered at that elephant till he let me sit again and swim he toward Na’Talie and haul she on board. Her stare at me like death. If death was crying and hugging and saying oh near lost you like Momma in they deep-deep.
And when I thought that was all? They coaster blew sky high. Wood and metal whizzed through they air like rockets, smashing into they deep-deep, shooting one lens straight out of Robert’s goggles. And ducks. All they that we hadn’t packed up, oh Momma, they rained down on us like constant tribute.
When they all settled, it was a strange quiet crept over us. They deep-deep lapped its tongue against our legs crossways over they elephant as him swam to Robert. We all climbed out on they narrow shore, Jen and Beth shivering on a slab of pavement. Was like none of us knew what to do, so Na’Talie hauled she people and she elephants from they waters and looked at me. Looked at me like life and possibility and then her bent and picked up a duck.
And placed it in my hands like tribute.
WHITE NOISE
Geoff Gander
George? It’s Amanda. How are you holding out? Good. No one else is picking up anymore. Is your radio on? Satellite? That’s good – more stations that way. No, don’t go to your car; too exposed. Stay away from the windows, too.
What’s that? Yeah, it’s been three days now, I think. I had to switch half a dozen times last night. People at the stations are getting sloppy, or they’re… well, you’ve seen the news feeds. I think they either don’t know and they’re covering it up, or they do know and they don’t want us to panic. I mean, sunspots, electromagnetic disturbance, and then finally a terrorist attack? Whatever. One of the last things I read on the boards before they went dead was that regular talking doesn’t have the right mix of sounds, pitch, or whatever, to block them.
No… no TV news here, either. Just reruns, with that scrolling message to stay indoors and keep a radio going until further notice.
Still haven’t seen any of the neighbours. I read on the Net this weird post about how people who hear the noise get “empty,” or turned into monsters or something. Anyhow, we’ve got enough food for a week so hopefully it’ll all be—
George? George? You still there? Oh thank God. You went dead for a moment and I thought – Your station got cut off? I heard somewhere that all it takes is a minute of silence before you can hear it.
Yeah, Mom hasn’t contacted me, either. I called her apartment and the super’s office – nothing. I mean, maybe she’s found a safe place. She doesn’t have a car, so she couldn’t have gone far.
Shit, station’s dead!
Me again. I’m okay, I’m okay… yeah, I know I told Dad I’d rather die than listen to Garth Brooks, but I wasn’t being choosy. Seriously, George, that was close. It took me almost a minute to find a new station, and I started hearing it. No, it wasn’t like the static you get on the radio or TV. There was a pattern to it, but it didn’t repeat or anything. Like a strange language? Maybe, but I haven’t seen any little green men running around.