Short Stories For Fun

After The Meteor

"Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's an unknown object heading towards Earth at 100 miles per hour. In about 11 minutes the object will cross Earth's atmosphere and land in the pacif ocean... and there's nothing that can stop it."

In 2035, Earth was hit by a strange phenomenon that was estimated to have come from quadrillions of miles away, which landed in the center of the pacific ocean. The impact was so hard that the damage extended to at least one fourth of Australia and one eighth of Asia, killing millions of people and leaving thousands wounded or without a home. For about five years, the world struggled to establish order and provide enough resources to supply the helpless refugees. No one knew how long it would be until everything returned to normal.

However in mid 2041, a curious German meteorologist and chemist named Tobias Ascariot attempted to investigate the mysterious object, now considered a type of meteor, which no one had dared to approach since its first appearance. Although astrologists had advanced so much in the previous years with technology and science, the meteor's exact point could not be located, hence they believed it was possible it might've come from outside the Milky Way, making it almost impossible for anyone to gather enough courage to approach the phenomenon. But when brave Ascariot volunteered to take on the challenge, he discovered something far more than what he'd bargained for.

During his investigation, Ascariot collected a piece of the meteor which he observed under a microscope in his lab and happened to come across what he believed to be a new element.

Because it didn't come from within Earth's atmosphere nor it's galaxy, the name given to the substance was "Neos Agnostos", meaning "new unknown" in Greek. The meteor itself was a dark shade of purple with smooth red dust in its crust. When cracked open, the inside was filled with a blue jelly-like liquid. To his surprise it wasn't toxic nor acidic, however when he placed a small drop on a piece of paper, it began to release an odorless and colorless twinkling gas which spread around the room in a matter of seconds. In his report, Ascariot stated that all of the items in his room began to float around and change shape. He couldn't get his head around what could possibly be in Neos A. that would make other substances react in such a peculiar manner. More and more questions popped into Ascariot's mind and he could not answer one.

While Tobias Ascariot was spending all his time studying this mysterious substance in his lab, the rest of the world had begun to move towards a potential solution for the present disorder. Earlier that month, president Julia Brodeur signed a petition from the Hands United Organization (HUO) that proposed that all refugees be gathered and placed in their newly built "home" that would provide food, shelter, and other necessities located in East Connecticut. This "home" was an old factory from the 2020s which was altered and remodeled in some areas, making it a habitable shelter and named "Paradiso". Since it was a starting project, at first not many were accepted, only children and possibly elders between the ages of 60 and older.The rest would be placed in other branches while waiting for the one year trial to be completed proposed by the HUO for precautions. Everyone who had lost their home or had been separated from their relatives would be recorded on the waiting list for potential candidates later in the year. Among these candidates was the unfortunate 18 year old Eloise Jones from Geraltdon, Australia, who had lost both of her parents and been separated from her older brother, Martin Jones.

"H-here!" shouted Elois Jones lifting her hand stiffly into the sky as the officer called her name. "It's not a roll call kid, you can relax," said officer Lee with an annoyed look on his face as he took a sip of his black coffee. Sitting awkwardly in front of the stern officer, Elois thumbled with the tip of her braid wondering how she could explain to him why she was found at her school late last night writing in on the walls along with some unknown symbols with a spray can. "Sign here, here, annnd..here." Officer Lee handed Elois a yellow sheet and a pen, pointing to the spots where he needed her signature.

* * * * *

Ascariot continued his studies for another two and a half years until his death was announced in The New Tech Times magazine during late 2043.

"The cause of his death was unknown, however many notes left in his lab lead people to believe that he attempted to consume his new discovery, Neos A, and his body couldn't handle it," reported Anna Luis on CNN on the morning of August 2nd.

While collecting his remaining archives and important research, Ascariot's close cousin, Lukas Adelaide, found a mysterious book with a lock under his bed piled with a series of notebooks numbered one through seven. After many failed attempts to unlock the book, Ascariot's cousin decided to donate it to the Institution of Bright Minds in Berlin where it was shipped to an HUO station in East Australia.

 The book ends up in Paradiso's library, where it made its way to Eloise Jones who had been accepted into the shelter home (Paradiso) the year after. She encountered a mysterious teacher who went by the name of Neo, who was able to tell her how to unlock the book and about the other notebooks that were scattered throughout the world. When Eloise encounters her older brother's name written on the cover of the book along with two others, she sets on a journey to find the other notebooks in hopes to find more clues to where her brother might be and who exactly is he. However, she did not only find a clue to her brother's whereabouts, but also ended up receiving a dose of a magical gas which was released from the book's pages, allowing her to shape-shift and control her gravity levels.

If you want me to continue this story write #AfterTheMeteor in the comments.