Do Not Harvest

Man what a weird dream. I thought as I rubbed sleep from my bleary eyes. The light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting my bed in a lovely mid morning glow. Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, my feet hit the hardwood floors. The feeling sends a brief shiver through me at the abrupt temperature change from the cozy downy blankets warmth to the cool floors. I stretch my arms up over head, sighing away the last bit of sleep from my body.

I stand up glance around the sparsely furnished room and rummage through the shabby dresser for an outfit. Settling finally on a pair of loose fitting denim jeans and well worn black t-shirt. Heading to the bathroom I catch myself staring at the odd symbol burned into my forehead. I carefully touch it and realize the dream wasn't actually a dream.

Those events did happen, people being essentially vaporized off the planet in an instant. Leaving behind those of us with these really weird marks on our faces. Weirder still was the fact that there was no rhyme or reason to who was and wasn't taken. Families just splintered, kids or parents, didn't matter. And even weirder still was the fact that somehow these marks didn't even hurt? They just showed up as if we were always branded. That and it wasn't as if the marks were all the same everyone had different ones. And no one knew what they were for, we just all lived in fear that something like it would happen again.

I mean sure some had hope that we could figure it out but I didn't even remotely hold my breath for it. A loud national alarm blared across the room from the alarm clock radio, “Attention, our top team of scientists have just discovered the meaning of the symbols. After months of careful research and studying various languages we have discovered the meaning, behind them. It appears the message says, ‘Do not harvest, not fit for consumption.' As of right now we are unsure what to make of this and advise everyone to continue as usual until further notice.” The message repeats a few more times and then finally fades back to the regular loop of 90's hits.

I stare into the mirror wondering what on earth that kind of message would even be meant for or why? What do they mean not fit for consumption? What happened to those who apparently were fit for for consumption? I turned the thoughts over and over in my head as I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and even as I made a quick breakfast of coffee with too much creamer and a bagel. My watch chirped off an alarm and I shook my head of all thoughts because it was time to hustle to work.

Auto pilot took over as I rushed slipping on heavy black work boots and hurried out the door. With most the population gone, governments assigned everyone left behind, more jobs, enforced heavily by armed guards in every city and town. Just because the supposed “rapture” happened, didn't mean those in charge felt even an ounce of sympathy. And they especially didn't want to feel the hurt in their pockets because of a sudden decrease in their work forces. How could anyone worry about the “sky is falling” or more aptly “Do not harvest. Not fit for consumption?” when they didn't even have time to do anything but sleep and work?