Time Lapse

Before the end

      It was a semi-normal day when Alicia woke up. The air was cool and the sun was shining bright. It was the year 1954 and everyone was having a ball. Alicia was a maid for a local white woman named Carolynn Jones. Her husband was in the war in Korea, and there had been many rumors of a bomb being dropped in America. She was getting ready for work and she turned on her radio. "Well, here's the scoop, Don: A nuclear war's on the outbreak, ya hear? Get to your bomb shelters and hold the little ones close; this might be the last time you see them. I feel sorry for anyone who has someone they love in North Korea. They're probably a prisoner of war-" she turned the radio off in frustration. Her eyes swelled with tears as she thought of losing her husband, Jeffrey. As she left her house, she could feel all of the fellow maids looking at her and feeling sorry for her. She knew Jeffrey wasn't coming home alive.

     As soon as Alicia walked in through Carolynn's grand doors, she was bombarded with an endless list of tasks. "And don't think for a second that I'm going to feel sorry for you just because your husband is dead. You have a job around here and you best complete it." Her eyes stung with tears as she dusted every countertop. The television turned on and a loud voice boomed through. "We interrupt your program to let everyone know that a bomb is being dropped! Get to your bunkers IMMEDIATELY!!" Carolynn grabbed my hand and drug me into her fallout shelter. "I-I'm so sorry about what I said. I hope your husband is okay." Alicia knew Carolynn was only saying that because it was obvious her own husband was going to die.

        She got down on my knees in the shelter and started to pray. Alicia didn't want to die without knowing if her husband was okay. Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside, leaving their ears ringing. An older man by the name of Daniel was sitting in the corner of her bunker. "Daniel, what are you doing here?" Alicia asked. "I'm here to save you both. I'm going to cryogenically freeze you. You'll be safe, but you're skin will need intense care." "You promise we'll be safe?" Carolynn asked. "Yes. Now follow me." He led them into a large freezer-like room. He locked the two of them up and prayed that they'd make it out okay.