30 Doomsday Autumn McDonnel It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine, little sister sang out as mother and father panicked to fill their cars with gas. Stop fucking singing, mother said. Be serious about this. It is the end of the world, so don’t make fun of me. Older sister snorted and rolled her brown eyes. Mother felt as though older sister’s eyes shifted from brown to a hellish red. She continued to swear under her breath while father rubbed the small of her back. Your mother is right. It is the end of the world, and you need to understand that we’re trying to keep our family safe. Older sister didn’t buy it for a second, but little sister had a smidge of fear that the world would end, and suddenly she didn’t feel fine. Each of their four cars was filled to the brim with gasoline, just like mother and father intended. The four soon reached home after spending $300 on gasoline, flashlights, sleeping bags, and canned goods. Their basement was filled with dry foods, feminine hygiene products, and packs of Coca-Cola—the only thing keeping mother’s sanity afloat. Mother and father had been stockpiling for months on end, hoping that they would be prepared enough for doomsday. Older sister couldn’t believe her eyes at the sight of the basement. Older sister, growing tired of mother and father’s nonsense, had had enough. The world isn’t going to end, older sister said. You’ve been saying this for years. You’re fucking insane, she shouted at mother. Mother’s eyes lit up red—a hellish red that older sister passed down to mother. Ironic. She turned to older sister and shouted back. I’m trying to protect my fucking family, so sorry for trying to make sure that we’re all prepared and that we don’t fucking die! Older sister rolled her eyes once more, tears welling up in them. Her mother, once naïve to the dangers of the world, was convinced after living forty years on the godforsaken planet that today was the day that the world would end and that she would drag her family into her mess. Older sister, destined to make mother open her eyes to mother’s false reality, chimed in again. I hate this fucking family. You’re all fucking crazy! You’re the reason I wake up every morning and wish I belonged to someone else—someone that didn’t live their life in fucking fear of something that will never, ever happen! Father tried to chime in, but mother stopped him before he got the chance. Maybe she’s right, mother suggested. But she’s not. Maybe one day older sister will learn how to grow up and realize that the world isn’t all sunshine and butterflies! Father reached for mother again, trying to pull her close to his chest to comfort her, but mother wouldn’t budge. Instead, mother turned to older sister and lowered her voice. The world will fucking end, and when it does, I’ll look for you in our final moments and my final words will be I told you so.
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