In Adrian Barnes’ “Nod,” the apocalypse occurs over a month as 99% of the earth’s populace loses the ability to sleep and slowly goes insane. In Sandra Newman’s “The Country of Ice Cream Star,” the world is full of children because everyone above the age of 21 mysteriously dies. For my challenge, invent your own strange take on the end-of-the-world story. Tell a story set in an apocalypse never or rarely seen. 200 coins to the most original work :)

Facade

The world ended when man learned not to lie. It didn’t happen gradually, if it had, we as a whole could have gotten used to it. No, the world woke up and found the truth only thing allowed to be spoken. Strange and unknown were the reasons, but the effects we devastating. World leaders were unable to work around facts, hide in their partial truth, and make false promises. Thus, diplomacy fell apart. Soldiers were mustered, tank rolled, war planes bombed, and battles ship churned the seas with the dead.

Some buttons were pushed.

On the smaller scale overall it seemed more catastrophic. Politicians’ true colors were flown; some were corrupt and unable to shroud their misdeeds. Others ended up being lazy, happy and fat in their milking of the public’s good will. Even the honest and good ones happened to be tainted by the stain of it all. Cops had a field day; criminals could do nothing but confess. However, cheating spouses revealed their infidelity, thieves exposed their ill-gotten means, and murders declared the blood they shed. While these things may seem worthy of praise, man tends to be worse than the beasts. In our anger and rage of hidden sins we killed and wrought pain. Mankind died in fallout of falsehood, the few that remain do so in misery.

The world is broken, and hope is a fiction we are incapable to tell.