December 31, 2129, 4:56 am:
Adam knows he will not live past thirty. The world is too hot, too dry, too dead. He knows our planet has simply run out of time. Knows we have less of it than we ever could have predicted. But he will still try and get to thirty, he will still try to make it as long as he can. He wakes up beside his husband. They got married quite young compared to our standards, but when you know you have a deadline, everything seems to speed up. He rises from the floor and crawls over to kiss him on his head. It is too hot now to use a bed or even to sleep up against someone most nights, and blankets are simply something they no longer own. He puts on a loose-fitting shirt, and walks to the shore to jump into the ocean. It is warm, but because he has never known anything else, it is simply another morning. It is just another morning. He does not have to know it will be his last. Does not have to know that was the last time he could kiss his spouse. Does not have to know he will run home to his husband tonight, faster than he ever has before. Sweat burning his eyes as he makes a desperate attempt to reach him in time. Does not have to know he will hold the only man he has ever loved tonight, while they die in each other's arms, as the world burns around them.
Earlier that day, on the other side of the world:
I wake up to the coolest morning I have felt in a while, smiling at the sheer simplicity of it all. I stretch the best I can manage in our small underground quarters, feeling the cool dirt beneath my feet. I crawl over to wake Charlie with a kiss, but they roll over instead, mumbling something about it being too early, so I decide to let them be. I head to the water as I always do, just to cool off, just to feel some water on my skin, and the barely rising sun hot on my face. Just to feel the sand between my toes, and to feel the salt against my skin. As soon as I see the water’s edge I begin to run, eager for the cool relief, jumping in the moment I feel its relieving touch on my toes. I dive under, splashing around in the small waves. I lay there, face to the sky, drifting in the water and losing myself to my own thoughts. I swim back to the shore only minutes later, needing relief from the ever-glaring sun beneath the shade of the rocks. I sit beneath them, catching my breath, and I smile. I just have a feeling something incredible will happen today. Oh, what a beautiful morning.
Adam knows he will not live past thirty. The world is too hot, too dry, too dead. He knows our planet has simply run out of time. Knows we have less of it than we ever could have predicted. But he will still try and get to thirty, he will still try to make it as long as he can. He wakes up beside his husband. They got married quite young compared to our standards, but when you know you have a deadline, everything seems to speed up. He rises from the floor and crawls over to kiss him on his head. It is too hot now to use a bed or even to sleep up against someone most nights, and blankets are simply something they no longer own. He puts on a loose-fitting shirt, and walks to the shore to jump into the ocean. It is warm, but because he has never known anything else, it is simply another morning. It is just another morning. He does not have to know it will be his last. Does not have to know that was the last time he could kiss his spouse. Does not have to know he will run home to his husband tonight, faster than he ever has before. Sweat burning his eyes as he makes a desperate attempt to reach him in time. Does not have to know he will hold the only man he has ever loved tonight, while they die in each other's arms, as the world burns around them.
Earlier that day, on the other side of the world:
I wake up to the coolest morning I have felt in a while, smiling at the sheer simplicity of it all. I stretch the best I can manage in our small underground quarters, feeling the cool dirt beneath my feet. I crawl over to wake Charlie with a kiss, but they roll over instead, mumbling something about it being too early, so I decide to let them be. I head to the water as I always do, just to cool off, just to feel some water on my skin, and the barely rising sun hot on my face. Just to feel the sand between my toes, and to feel the salt against my skin. As soon as I see the water’s edge I begin to run, eager for the cool relief, jumping in the moment I feel its relieving touch on my toes. I dive under, splashing around in the small waves. I lay there, face to the sky, drifting in the water and losing myself to my own thoughts. I swim back to the shore only minutes later, needing relief from the ever-glaring sun beneath the shade of the rocks. I sit beneath them, catching my breath, and I smile. I just have a feeling something incredible will happen today. Oh, what a beautiful morning.