ALL IS WELL IN SUBURBIA
By: S.R.Gallagher

Date: July 5th, 2032
Tomorrow is the day.

I can't wait. Five years of planning is finally coming to an end. I won't miss the drills much, and it'll be nice to have real windows on our house again. The tarps are noisy and let a draft in.

My dad had us perform one last drill this evening. We mustered to the padded room he built in the basement, strapped our helmets on, and wrapped our arms and legs around the anchored cords in the floor. We did it in under twenty seconds for once, though they tell us the shock shouldn't be that bad.

My mom can't stop talking about the future. She is probably the most excited for our climate to return to normal. I could tell this when she planted a new cherry tree in the front yard. The old cherry tree died ten years ago during the epic heat wave of 2022. We haven't even had grass since then.

All is well.

We spent the remainder of the evening by a recently paved road watching drag races. To our surprise, hundreds of people showed up. There was a lot of cheering, laughing and excitement. I think a feeling of ease is finally taking hold as we all watched the thick plumes of black exhaust rise to the atmosphere without fear or guilt.

It took me a while to fall asleep. I kept thinking about the operation. The government has assured us it's safe. I still worry, though. What if someone made a mistake?

I'm sure it's fine.

Date: July 6th, 2032
Today is the day!

We all woke early to watch the sun rise on the last day of the climate crisis. Our neighbours strangely gave the finger to the sky, like it was the sky's fault.We awkwardly gave them the thumbs up. 

We ate a big breakfast, but didn't talk much. No one wanted to admit it, but we were all nervous. Afterward, we kept busy in any way we could. Unfortunately we had to wait until morning in Australia before the operation could commence.

At 4:00pm the air raid siren sounded. I'm not going to lie, it scared the crap out of me. The anticipation was really starting to kill. We mustered to the basement bunker as planned, aside from my sister who tripped on a vase.She panicked a little.

I strapped on my helmet, tied my legs down and wrapped the floor cords around my arms. Then we waited for what seemed like an eternity. No one spoke. We waited for the siren to sound again, indicating the operation was over.

Just as my dad said, "Maybe it's already over" we were violently knocked sideways. I gripped the cords, which chafed my arms badly. Afterwards, my family was noticeably distressed, but my dad insisted we wait for the"All-clear".

The siren finally sounded an hour later. We slowly got up and walked out of the cellar. My arms were sore, my mom had a bloody nose, and my dad rubbed his shoulder constantly. My sister seemed fine, though she said shews flung right into the padded wall.

We sat down and watched the news.

"Success!" They proclaimed. "The massive Dart IV satellite made contact with Australia as planned! Earth's orbit is already shifting! The government expects the transition will be completed in two years, and our climate will show signs of cooling in three!"

We all clapped at the TV and hugged each other. Then we met neighbours on the street. We shared our experiences of the shock over drinks. Some rolled out their barbecues and before we knew it an impromptu block party erupted and lasted until morning. My dad even let me drink.

Date: August 6th, 2032

It has been a month since the operation and it has totally captivated the world.Talk shows obsess over expert guests speaking of the very precise calculations used to knock a massive object into the earth without destroying it, or even causing major damage. Though the shock was certainly more violent than expected, there was minimal loss of life. I'm happy to have windows again!

Australia has been altered forever, but that was expected. The government even thinks the Aussies may be able to resettle next year. I think that's optimistic, though, since it took five years just to relocate the first half of the population. Many might not even bother to return. Who knows?

So far the strangest change is seeing the Dart IV in the sky. It was in geosynchronous orbit over Australia until the operation. They say Dart will eventually settle into an orbit further away and look more like a very small moon, or a very bright star. In the meantime, it has turned into a selfie sensation and I enjoy seeing it at the current distance. It's like something out of science fiction. It's also cool to have two shadows at night.

Date: July 6th, 2035

It has been three years to the day since the operation!

The Earth is just a little closer to Mars' orbit and the climate has shown noticeable, but not yet obvious signs of cooling.

My mom is happy. The rain has returned and her cherry tree is thriving. She putters around it every day.

The Earth hasn't stopped drifting away yet, but we have been assured that it has slowed. We practically don't think of the climate anymore. Gas dropped in price and electric vehicles sales slowed. I think next year I will move out and begin college.

All is well.

Date: September 12th, 2038

The past year has been difficult. The Earth kept drifting away from the sunand is now past the optimal threshold. The days are now cooler than normal,which is disappointing to say the least. It actually snowed yesterday. The government is encouraging gas consumption to warm the planet.

Date: January 10th, 2039

The planet stopped drifting finally!

Most of us have lost confidence in the government's ability to make mathematical predictions, but independent scientists around the globe have blogged that the Earth has indeed settled into a permanent orbit. I'll have Roget used to shoveling snow for six months out of the year, but at least the worst of our problems are behind us. All is well.

Date: March 19th, 2041

We have a new problem.

The momentum transferred to the Earth from the Dart IV did not quite cease as originally thought. Now the planet's North Pole has tumbled on to its side. We now experience a scorching summer, and sub zero winter.

It's weird to watch the sun drift from the northern to southern horizon throughout the year. When it dips below the south we become hermits. Then, when winter ends we turn into insomniacs and try to outlast the nightless summer.

It's not all bad. We watch drag races at 4:00am on the weekend in the summer under a bright sky.

Everyone seems to be in agreement this time that Dart's changes are complete. I mostly believe them. But on a side note, Disney bought Dart and opened a theme park on it. I can't wait to go!

Date: July 5th, 2052

Our city is not unlike an apocalyptic wasteland. Short, scraggly grasses and weeds grow in the spring and then die by mid summer. By late summer, the city is a dust bowl. We wear scarves or masks to breathe when we go outside and have to brush dust off everything.

Some years we have monsoon rains in the summer instead of dry heat. The dust is replaced by rivers flowing over streets and washing away bridges. Then in the fall the monsoons turn to blizzards.

We eat a lot of vegetables because meat is too expensive most of the time. My dad turned our front and back yard into a giant turnip garden. He's basically a farmer now. My mom was mad when he cut down her cherry tree for the turnips. I felt bad for her, but to be fair, the tree died five years ago.

We trade turnips with the neighbours for whatever food they have. I keep telling my dad to grow corn. Corn trades at a much higher price than turnips. One ear is easily worth five turnips, but he seems to think they will be worth more one day. I even tell him of the more promising projections for corn, but he's too stubborn.

I'm tired of helping them load the van full of turnips just to buy a week's worth of food.

Date: 20 Days until Summer, 2062

Only twenty days until Summer and the monsoons keep washing away my corn seeds. Dad is probably laughing at me from above. Not to worry though, on Ten Days until Winter I'm going on a much needed holiday. I made enough from the corn harvest last year to finally travel to Disney World on Dart IV.