Suicide
Chuy Chupacabra
The clouds hung low in the winter sky, and it looked like it was about to snow. The
ground was white for miles into the horizon. The skeletons of trees were few and
far between, their branches praying to the sky for renewed life. The wind was howling
with fury, punishing those who dared stand in its face. A nearly frozen river cut
through the landscape, making its way to the sea. And a man stood there, waiting
for the hour to come. Snow was kicking up in his face, and his beard was already
a false white. He wrinkled his face as he looked into the horizon, waiting for a sign to come.
The sign came. It made its way from out of the clouds and hovered over the surface
without making a sound. It was a small craft, and it landed gently on the snow not
far from where the man stood. It opened its doors and out came two figures. The
figures came closer to the man, and the man stood there waiting.
"You know this is our final contact," one of the strangers said.
"Just tell me why you're leaving," the man said, wanting to know.
"We've finished our survey of your planet and we have concluded that the dominant
species of this planet is not worthy of being saved," the stranger said gravely.
"What do you mean 'not worthy'? Don't we deserve a chance to -"
"Please stop. Your race is headed towards destruction. Your people have raped the
environment, and you are about to unleash a hell on Earth, thanks to all your technology,"
the stranger said. "I don't see why you are so surprised. It has happened many times before in more important planets than this one. The nature of your species
is not suited for survival. Therefore, you will die."
"But we've tried, haven't we? Man is capable of doing good. Do the good deserve
to perish with the rest?"
"You do not understand. We are not going to destroy your species, it will destroy
itself. Just pray that from your ashes, the Earth may produce a race capable of
living with itself. It has been 'Survival of the Fittest,' and your race is not
fit for survival."
"Then who is to be saved?"
"The whales," the other stranger said. They turned around to leave for home and they
did not look back as they entered the vessel. It silently floated off the ground
and it went above the cloud cover. It was gone.
The man walked off into the horizon and headed for home, not terribly convinced that
they were wrong.
Copyright 1987 by Chuy Chupacabra. Unauthorized duplication,
posting, or publication is strictly prohibited.
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