MOONFALL

Aadi Mullan and Cooper Corleto ‘23

London, England

March 10, 3023

11:00 AM

Taking in the sunshine as I walked through the park, I realized something was off, as if something had happened that I was unaware of. The streets were vacant, and the only sound for miles was the sound of the church bell, indicating that the clock struck 11:00. I’ve lived in London my whole life, 14 years, and never have I seen the streets this empty. The only other time London was this quiet was when the Moonwar started. No one can be sure of who struck first, but we do know that around four years ago, resources such as the hardest metal known to man were found on the moon. Everyone was shocked. Almost at once, it seemed every nation in the world was sending dozens of spacecraft to the moon in hopes of obtaining these resources. Within a few weeks there wasn’t a single speck of Vibranium left. Then, after about a year of digging, NASA, which is part of the USA, suddenly discovered a huge vein of Vibranium deep in the core of the moon. The news of this got out rapidly, and worldwide commotion erupted. Almost every individual country was desperately seeking the forbidden metal, and would stop at nothing for it. Before long, nations sent battalions of soldiers to try and gain the Vibranium. Eventually, England did the same, sending many soldiers, including my father, Jamie Atkinson. At this point, the war had been going on for months, and it looked like it was coming to an end. Over 185 nations had brought their troops back home. But it didn’t look like anyone had “won”. Desperate to get their hands on the metal, the USA decided to nuke the surface of the moon to try and make extracting the metal simpler. But that didn’t work. Instead, the USA’s nukes ended up breaking the moon into many pieces, causing worldwide chaos. For the past four or so years after this all happened, scientists have been saying that the moon will crash into earth. And now, here we are, in the present day, awaiting for the moon to crash into the earth and kill all of us. Currently, NATO, along with many other national organizations, have come up with a plan. They are making a spaceship that can hold 1000 people. We are expecting over 500 spaceships to be made within the next few months. Right now, we have 100 made and ready to go, with more coming on the way. And as of yesterday, I am going to be on one of them.

London, England

April 2nd, 3023

8:30 AM

I throw everything in my large Patagonia bag. Per NATO rules, I’m only allowed to bring two shirts, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, and one pair of shoes. Since there aren’t many things in space to possibly get my clothes dirty, I don’t have to worry about my clothes getting ruined. I am leaving early tomorrow, at approximately 7:30 AM local time, to go to a confidential location. Apparently, no one going to space is allowed to know where we are going because NATO is scared that we will leak the information and 10 billion people, all desperate to leave earth, will show up at the location of departure. In fact, I haven’t been allowed to leave the house since March 20st because of this reason. So for the last two weeks, all I’ve been doing is watching TV, playing video games like FIFA Version 2.23, and kicking the ball against the wall. Whilst doing all these things, my brain is going crazy, fixed on the fact that I am going to leave earth for the first time ever very shortly.

London, England

April 3rd, 3023

6:45 AM

“Honey, breakfast is ready!” says my mother. “Coming mom,” I responded. As I walk to the dining room, the hallway feels bare, as all our pictures have been taken down and given away to less fortunate families. Arriving in the dining room, a lovely smell hits my nose. “ I made pancakes,” my mother says. I throw both fists in the air. My mom chuckles. “Viens chérie,” my mother says. I took a seat at the table and devoured my delicious pancakes so fast I nearly puked. In the car on my way to the space shuttle, I take one last look at my beloved home city of London. So many good memories and good times. Filled with nostalgia, my eyes start to tear up. My father puts his hand on my shoulder, reassuring me that everything is going to be ok.

As we near the airport, I see our plane. A sleek black private plane with the UK flag on its tail. It looks glamorous in the sun, but instead of being excited to board, I glumly stare at the UK flag, reminding me of my childhood and growing up here in London. On the plane, I kinda just fool around, trying to take my mind off the current situation. My father is staring into the distance, clearly a bit dazed and confused. My mother has a half-read magazine lying on her lap, but she is sound asleep resting her head on my father’s shoulder. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep, dreaming of advanced mars houses and special alien food. I woke up to my father nudging me. “ Wake up sleepyhead, we’re here. Say hello to Bettembourg, Luxembourg.” he says. I grudgingly wake up and start to exit the plane. When I step outside, my mouth drops in a combination of awe and disbelief. A giant, shiny space shuttle looms in the distance. When we board the spaceship, many people are sitting all around us, and it is very cramped. There are many familiar faces, as most people aboard are world leaders, but there are also a lot of just super rich people. We all get a spacesuit, listen to a funky, small, middle aged man give a safety speech, and then we all board the spaceship, breathing in our last breath of Earth.

“Takeoff in 10, 9, 8, 7, - Ding!” Everyones phone makes a sound at once, moments before takeoff. In a state of confusement, I check my phone, along with pretty much everyone else on board.. Slowly, my face crumples, my eyes begin to tear, and I go into full panic mode. The notification reads, “Breaking News! THE MOON WILL NOT FALL! A series of studies from the world’s finest scientists have proved that the moon will not fall.” Unfortunately, it’s too late to stop now, and the spaceship takes off into the air. “Crkkkkk, crkowokkk, boom!” As I look out the window, smoke covering my vision, I catch a glimpse of red, and then I can’t see anything anymore. Nor can anyone else.

BREAKING NEWS:

Aadi Mullan ‘23

Kim Kardashian Changes Dog’s Leash From Leather to Nylon

CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA- According to sources, Kim Kardashian has changed her dog’s leash from a leather one to a nylon one. Sources confirm that Kim’s dog Sushi, a whitish Pomeranian, has had her leash changed. Sushi has been part of the Kardashian family which she purchased for Kim’s then 4 year old’s birthday. Since 2017 Sushi has been see a lavish $50 belt from Gucci’s “Pup” winter line. The belt’s elegant leather has slowly wo since 2017 and Kim has finally pronounced that she will change Sushi’s leash. Kim was seen at Petco buying a 20 inch nylon leash with her daughter. Today Sushi was seen wearing th when taken out for a walk. When asked about this on “Keeping up with the Kardasians”, said that “ changing my dog’s leash is not a big deal” before rolling her eyes and storming out of t room. Sources close to Kim have confirmed that she is ignoring all questions about the has led to speculation about Kim’s future.