In the beginning, there were elements. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen—elements that brought forth and sustained life. But then there was man, and leave it up to them to give everything a sinister purpose. On that day, that day I will never forget, man turned these elements into destructive particles with unimaginable power. The elements exploded with such energy that the skin was hanging off of our bodies—melted. As I sat there, watching them die, barely holding on to life myself, I wondered: what does man have to hope for in a world where the ingredients of life that once sustained us can be used to destroy on an unimaginable scale? And as I was pondering that question, a man answered it for me, as he plunged his head into the water and drowned himself. “Nothing,” he said.
2 comments:
I really liked this piece. It started off in a very original way by going from the beginning of time and moving forward. I also felt that the first person perspective worked really well to draw me into the mood of the piece. It paints a very bleak picture that accurately reflects the event. The answer to the question was perfect because it sums up the attitude of the day.
to answer "nothing" seems just about right to me, alex. i like how you speak of the elements essential to life, and then deconstruct them as you note they were constructed to literally destroy life. the fact that the man even returns to the elements works to this effect.
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