The Rapture
I can sense that it’s almost here; I can feel the wind getting stronger.
I watch as my adversaries fall and hit our father’s sensitive ground. My
fellow leaves are blown away like a family flying to their desired vacation
spot. The tree I am attached to is very special. It’s a Japanese white cherry
blossom tree. It takes two years for our mother’s leaves to grow back and
blossom once again. We have survived cold winters and their long
agonizing nights. People from all over have come to see our beautiful
stature. They gaze in shock because of the fact that we are rare.
I can sense that the tree I am attached to is dying. All of the other
leaves scream in terror as we all slowly deteriorate and die. The tree grows
tired every day as we sit under the Celestine sun. Our beloved tree’s bark
grows darker to the point where it will fall off soon. I am just waiting for
the day when I will fall as well and be pulled away by Death.
One of the other leaves tried talking to me today. I tried ignoring
him, but he was being very persistent. I listened to him preach his
thoughts to me. He said this is the rapture, and that this is what we
deserve. This is our god punishing us. I was never a believer in god. It’s the
fact that every one else is too idiotic to see that it’s just us evolving and
moving on to the next stages of life. The process of evolutionary success is
a great thing. All the other leaves are scared, but I hope for my time to be
up soon so I can escape all of these imbeciles. I spend my days thinking
about how humans have it so easy. They live up to their 70s or 80s. We
only live one year.
I wait eagerly through the night gazing at the pearlescent moon.
Dawn finally arrives, and I can tell that today is my day. I awake to the
feeling of massive wind gusting against me. I’m losing my grip on the
branch I’m attached to. One final push and suddenly I am falling…getting
closer and closer to the ground. I stare back at all of my friends, and then
I look to the ground to see Death raking the fallen leaves away. I think I
am next.
Finally, I have landed on the ground. I feel the claws of Death’s
reaping tool grab me. Soon, I am picked up and put into the void. It is
dark, and I now know I am at peace with the world.
Mark Staley
30