Day and night

The asteroid was hurtling at breakneck speed, heading straight for our blue planet. It was colossal. Almost as big as Australia. It would be a direct hit, and the world would be blasted into smithereens.

People panicked when it dawned on them that they had hardly a few weeks to live. People dropped whatever they were doing. The range of reaction was amazing. Some just broke down and cried. Some turned to religion. Others decided to enjoy their remaining days with wild abandon. Churches, Mosques, Temples were packed. So were the pubs. But it was every man for himself. People were just people. There were no farmers, factory workers, shopkeepers, barbers, plumbers or policemen. They were just people. But there were looters. Everything belonged to everyone. And no one cared for anyone else. True nature was displayed. No pretences anymore.

The scientists, at first caught by surprise, quickly gathered their wits, and started to think of plans to blast the asteroid and divert it away from a direct collision. But at the last moment, it was confirmed that the asteroid had veered off its path. It would pass by several tens of thousands of miles from earth. There was much cheer. There was hope again. People scrambled to grab whatever they could again. But there was more to come.

The proximity of the pass as it occurred caused massive tidal waves and tsunamis, and triggered natural disasters never before seen. Millions died. The destruction was unbelievable. But everyone thanked their lucky starts that there had been no collision. That would have wiped out the earth, and everything on it.

Soon after the event, the scientists checked the aftereffects, and found something that made people wish there had been a direct hit, and a blissful end. They found that the earths rotation was slowing down. Their calculations predicted that in 5 years time, it would be close to standstill.

The slowdown process was into its third year now. Each day was 521 hours long, and the nights were the same too: the equivalent of 20 days of darkness. Many plants had begun dying. The slowdown was too swift for them to adapt and evolve. Animals were uneasy and nervous. Food was running out. Tides lasted too long, triggering flooding and salt water intrusion making coastal areas uninhabitable. Polar and mountain snow melts were accelerated, further exacerbating the calamities. Ocean currents were altered drastically, playing havoc with weather. People looked sickly and pale. Relentless heat, extreme cold and adverse weather made many of the hitherto fertile parts of the world barren deserts. People started moving to more greener pastures, even as these shrunk. Man’s selfish base nature surfaced. Wars were triggered, accelerating the destruction.

Three years on, as the rotation of the world slowed down to a standstill, there were no more humans left on earth to experience the phenomenon.