The Miracle Seed - Prologue

The light from the television flickered about the room and the faint sound of snoring could be heard from under the covers of a large, king sized bed. Suddenly, a loud beep from the television tore through the room. The man in the bed shifted, and then as if the cold hands of death itself tapped him on the foot, sat up abruptly, his eyes glued to the screen. The loud beep faded, and a woman appeared on the screen.

“This is Amelia Rose with Channel 6 news with an emergency broadcast. Word has been received that the last tree on earth has fallen. Oxygen levels will slowly decrease for what scientists believe to be 24 hours. After that…” the news casters voice faded away as she wiped a silent tear away from her face.

“After that, human life as we know it will cease to exist.”

The screen shut off and the man bolted out of bed, down a staircase and stopped in front of a small book case. He waved his fingers in front of a few books before grabbing one. As he slipped it out from between two books, microscopic dust particles fell to the floor. The man tucked the book under his arm and proceeded to the front door. He grabbed his car keys and his coat, slamming the door behind him.

The man sped through a series of winding roads. He accelerated, speeding up to nearly 65 miles per hour. He knew it was dangerous, but he had little time to spare. He kept on driving for about half an hour before pulling off the road. He killed the engine and breathed a sigh of relief. He had made it this far, nothing could stop him now.

The faint sound of raindrops began and soon became a downpour of heavy rain. He glanced over at the book on the passenger seat and picked it up. He opened it, and instead of the pages turning like a normal book, they were stuck together evenly on each side. As the man spread the book out, he noticed on the right side that the pages had been cut out in a rectangle and a small, latched box rested inside. The man picked it up, studying it carefully. He shook it and heard something rattling inside. Unlatching the box, the man opened it just slightly. A faint light shined out, and when he opened it fully, the light was almost blinding. He picked up the source of light, turning it around in his hands several times. He glanced at it for the first time just for a split second and what gleamed in his eyes took his breath away.

The light emitting off of the object slowly faded to just a mesmerizing glow. A golden seed, slightly bigger than a quarter, lay in his hand. The man glanced again at the box and under where the seed had lay, there was a note. He picked it up, unfolded it and read the text scratched on it:

 

USE WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT

 

He set the note down, switching on the car radio and tuning it to a news station. Static filled the speakers but soon the man could make out someone talking.

“With less than a day left to live, the world is chaos. We advise everyone to stay indoors and cherish your last moments,” the radio spoke. The radio host sniffled as the radio station once again went to static. The man switched it to another news station and this one came in much clearer. The host wasn’t talking, but the man could hear someone quietly crying. Suddenly, the host came on the air.

“We need a miracle.”

The station went fuzzy and the radio let out a long beep. Then, silence. The man turned it off, sitting back in his seat and taking a deep breath, once again looking at the golden seed in his hand. Passed down through generations of his family, waiting for a time like this. The time was now. The man spoke under his breath.

“This is the miracle.”

 

The rain outside had begun to fall in heavy sheets, the drops cascading down the front windshield, swiftly flowing and splashing as if viewing the winding tributaries of a great river from above. The man closed his eyes tightly as he exhaled with anxiety and wonder. He grabbed the door handle and with a swift shove, emerged in the chilled wind and icy drops. He squinted in attempt to shield his eyes from the storm but was still able to make out a muddy patch of dirt about 50 yards off.

With seed in hand, he began to trudge through the saturated remains of dead leaves and frail branches as well as browned grass that lay drooped to its side in the powerful winds. The man reached the patch of mud. As he stopped, his worn shoes slowly sunk into the moist ground and his clothes now drenched, tightly stuck to his skin. He slowly crouched down and opened his palm to reveal the seed. The gold efflorescence gleamed prominently in the ever gray and dying landscape around him.

He stared into the light as it slowly intensified. It grew so bright, the gold beams turned into a blinding white, like rays of sunlight. He dug his calloused hand into the mud, quickly ripping away handfuls of dark, soggy dirt until he created a large hole. He took the seed, now bursting with brilliance and dropped it into the hole. It splashed in the shallow puddle that occupied the bottom of the crevasse and as the radiance of light grew overwhelming in brilliance, the man shoveled the mud back into the hole, covering the seed and blocking the light. The heavy rain had begun to calm, turning to a drizzle and the wind subsided into a gentle gust.

The man stood up from his crouching position and looked down at the mound of mud covering the seed. He then looked up and turned, scanning his surroundings which were clearer due to the quieting downpour. Barren earth, dark soil, and cold corpses of collapsed trees lay scattered across the open field.

A few minutes passed. The radio reporters grieved words echoed in his head. A miracle. Miracle. Miracle. As he looked upon a seemingly defeated Earth, a tear slid down his face like the raindrops on the windshield. The storm had ceased, yet precipitation filled his eyes. He thought to himself.

 

What would a world be without trees? Would there even be a world?    

 

Then, out of the corner of his tearful eyes, he saw a new color in the portrait of gray before him. A new light. A light not brown, or dark, or burnt or rust. The glimmer reflected green. A subtle green abundant with life and vivacity. And the source; a tiny spud emerging from the mud.

Reviews

[AtomicPuffin]

Hi! I'm new to this site so I was browsing different books to see if I could only post a few chapters at a time for a book. Yours caught my eye and I took a peek. And omg I'm so happy I did! It was intense and pulled me in. Definitely has a SciFi feel and is leaving me with questions wanting more. Like why are all the trees dead, where did he get the seed etc...

Basically I'm saying that I will be following this book and I hope you continue it. No criticism as the pace was appropriate and I didn't see any errors so keep going as you are!

[Kev]

Thank you so much for your review! It is much appreciated and feels good to know that someone has noticed this and is reading it. So far I only have two shorter chapters done in the book, but hopefully I can gain some followers (like you!) and keep on writing. I'll be sure to check out your writings as soon as I get the time. Thanks again!