When We Survived

By Rowan Considine

PART ONE

The Hand of Death

It all happened about three years ago when the bombs started flying. Both New Eden and New Arden were on the verge of running out of the small oil supplies both had acquired. It was on August 18, 2017 when a large oil deposit was discovered on a small island and word got out to both countries. A mutual agreement was made by both countries to meet on the island and discuss matters there. As I sit here now, three years later, I can remember the conversation I had with my mom as if it were yesterday.

“Hey mom did you hear about that new island they found? I bet gas prices will go way down. I wonder if they’ll ever get below ten dollars a gallon again.”

“Well sweetie I really don’t know,” she says. As she talks to me she turns on the TV and switches it to one of the news channels. I turn my attention towards the newscast about the new island. “But from the way people are talking about the island, it sounds like there’s a lot of oil on it.” My mom continues.

“So today is when the ships meet in the middle, right?” I say.

“Yup it is,” she replies. I continue watching the newscast. “I just hope everything goes ok.”

“What mom?”

“Nothing dear. Just saying that everything’s going to be ok after we get more oil.”

You know, I took an IQ test last year and got a score higher than the average adult, and I skipped the 4th grade but sometimes I think my mom forgets stuff like that.

“Hey mom, look, I think they’re broadcasting the meeting!”

NEWSCASTER: “Hello everybody, today we are all here to witness one of the most astounding events in history. Recently there has been a major oil discovery on a newly found island. This island, named New Baden is almost directly between of both New Eden and New Arden. Both countries have decided to meet in the center of the island and discuss matters on the newly found oil. We are now switching to a live news capture on of the meeting of the two ships from our news helicopter.”