The End of the World... Again or Hitbodedut. Book Two, Parables: The End of the World... Again or Hitbodedut, #3

By JM Dark

Book two, "Parables," is in three parts that explore social subcultures in the slightly dystopian reality including the pervasive use of intoxicants, high reliance on technology, and social prejudice based on caste affiliation. Part I introduces the reader to a near future, replete with a high-speed transit system, omnipresent germ phobia, and the Alliant Church of God (ACoG) religious cult. (These themes reappear throughout the book series and provide a foundation to contrast against the societal breakdown.) A man's clandestine business objective masks his family 'vacation' to Cuba. Unbeknownst to him, the geomagnetic pole reversal causes a devastating earthquake that tragically cuts his trip short. Part II, follows a middle-aged couple as they embark on an ill-fated trip to fight the influence of the ACoG on her mother. Part III, explores cultural bias based on caste affiliation and follows an unlikely trio of young midlevel technocrats as they strive to escape a world gone wrong in a stolen blimp.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JM Dark
• Release date: Mar 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463355626

JM Dark

J M Dark is a systems engineer by trade (techno stuff), that by night is an inventor, writer, and "tinkerer" who enjoys sharing new and unique concepts. "The End of the World...Again" is his first novel and weaves many thoughts and principles of a techno-guy into a gritty vision of what could easily be our future.

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Book One: Parables

By: J M Dark

Copyright September 2020. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Credits to:

My wife, Linda, for putting up with me

and

Enya, for putting me in the mood

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Part I: Minor Foibles May Not Be

This is a Vacation?

Ralph daubed the sweat from his balding head as he stood impatiently waiting his turn in the car rental line. He reflected on the old saw. Things always take longer when you have somewhere to be. I’m not really in a hurry but Maude is. She wants to get to San Juan by tonight and is, as usual, in a bad temper. She’s the stereotypical mother-in-law or, at least, I preferred to think of her that way. It makes it easier to be rude to her, and I enjoy being rude to her whenever I can get away with it. It’s my way of getting back at Gladys without running much risk of retaliation.

Maude’s voice came from behind a stack of luggage piled on a porter’s cart and rang with a fake southern drawl she thought made her sound stylish. Lookit thar, they’s practicly fornicatin. Auta turn a hose on ‘em. Look, he has his hand...

Mom, why don’t you look at this map? See if you can figure out where we’re supposed to get off the expressway. Gladys perched precariously on the edge of the cart with her generous proportions spilling over the sides.

Why should I waste my time on sech thins? The car knows its way better’n I eva did. I cen’t even remembers my own neighbahood, much less where it’s on some silly ol map.

Well, I just thought you’d rather do that than watch those two.

Ralph approached with a smirk on his face and a handful of paperwork. He had managed to wangle an upgrade out of the clerk by telling her that he needed something bigger than the subcompact, he had reserved, because of the sudden failing health of the old woman. He opted for a sport-van and he was reveling in the knowledge that Maude would have to ride in the back with the kids while he’d recline in the comfort of the custom contoured pilot’s chair.

Ralph stretched the truth for convenience sake. It’s all they had left so I got it at the same price. It’ll work out fine once we get moving. He stuffed the receipts into a pocket of his tucker, threw it over his shoulders, and shoved his hands into the gloves.

Grabbing the handle of the porter’s cart, he headed down the ramp toward the garage. Maude scrambled to her feet as the motorized cart obeyed his commands. You idiot, are you trying to kill me? And what do you mean it’s all they had? What have you done now?

"Mom, that’ll be enough of that in front of the kids. We’re going on a vacation and I want everyone to try to get along. Now Ralph, where are we going and what sort of a car did you get?"

There she is. Ralph spoke with a little more satisfaction than he should have. The sleek red sport-van sat crouched at the loading dock. As he approached, the computer sensed the presence of the keycard stuffed in his pocket and the driver’s door opened with a gentle hiss. Isn’t she a beaut? Ah, I mean, I think we can make do with this, but someone will have to ride in the back with the kids. He turned to Gladys and gave her a meaningful twitch of his eyebrow.

Maude plopped her oversized rear on the pile of belongings. The bags hissed and complained under the considerable weight of the disgruntled figure. If yall think I’ma gona ride in back of this here thang, yall have somethin else comin.

Gladys was mad enough to leave Ralph on his own. Mom, it’ll be fun to get in touch with the kids again, and I’ll stay with you if you want.

Yeah, and I can ride up front with Dad. Cindy, their teenage daughter, was quick to chime in.

As Ralph loaded the luggage into the back of the van, Cindy and Ralph Junior had a knock-down, drag-out, whining match to see who ‘gets’ to ride in back with Grandma. By the time Ralph got the bags in, the conflict had degraded into a tearful sulking contest that he felt justified in terminating with a fatherly bark of authority. Both of you get in back. Mom is the only one who’s going to ride in front with me.

Gladys had settled her mother into the rearmost seat and ducked out from under the side door. You two get in and keep Grandma company. I’m going to ride in front with your father for now.

Ralph recognized his wife’s irritation and moaned knowingly under his breath as he stepped down from the loading dock into the driver’s seat. He dropped his tucker into the dash-tray and the keycard brought the computers to life with blinking lights and flashing screens. The seat conformed to his pudgy frame as he reached up to release the latch on Gladys’s door. He was oblivious to the muttering coming from his mate as she struggled with the door and precarious footing of the loading dock. He smiled to himself and felt a warm glow of satisfaction as he stepped through the instruction screen. The car responded to his commands and confirmed that the computers were willing to go for a drive with him today.

Gladys settled in and squealed as the restraining harness pulled tight over her form. She struggled with the adjustment knobs causing the seat to recline nearly horizontal while Ralph called the engine to life and confirmed the navigation program. She finally settled on a seat position and, pulling a sani-wipe from her pocket, started swabbing likely contact surfaces on the dash. When she was satisfied that she would probably not contract anything deadly, she started pushing buttons on the communication system. Mom can you hear me? Mom? This damn thing... Mom?

Hissss... was the only answer from the video terminal as she pushed through one menu item after another.

Here let me. Ralph pushed her hand away and deftly reset the program to call up the rear compartment monitor.

Maude’s disgruntled face came into focus. ...time I’ll ever get inta a thang like this, yall sadly mistaken.

Mom? Can you hear me now?

Yes, I can hears ya. And I wants ta tell ya...

Ralph urged the guidance stick forward and blocked out the chatter with more important things. The van eased out through the air-shield door of the garage and pulled smartly across the rental yard to the expressway ramp. The attendant looked up from behind a panel in the booth as the van pulled into the inspection box. The car started flashing and beeping as it tried to convince the expressway computer to grant it access. The attendant was quickly satisfied with the status of the vehicle.

The voice of the attendant crackled over the communication channel in agreement with the onboard screens. Pssssst... You are cleared to proceed...pssss.

Ralph eased the control stick forward and the displays settled into transit mode. The turbine hissed as the van quickly accelerated down the ramp. The side-rail reflectors glowed blue through the eerie ghosts of the infrared windscreen. He pushed the stick further forward until the reflectors passed from blue to green and then orange. He pulled the stick back until they returned to green and pressed the lock button as the van surged and confirmed that the auto-guide system had taken control.

The ramp merged with the traffic lane and, again, the van surged as it moved smoothly into the furrow that formed the intercity lane of Route-118. Ralph selected Navigate on the screen and looked for the reflectors to change as the van merged up and over the gentle rise between the lanes. The car settled into the next slightly deeper rut and continued to accelerate as it searched for clearances and climbed the ridge of the next track. At last, it settled into the express lane. The reflectors changed again from blue to green and the displays changed to a rolling map of their progress. The roadway quickly transitioned into a trough as the van continued to accelerate banking into a curve just outside of town.

The trough gave way to the groove: a set of three narrow tire-tracks with a containment rail on either side. The tire-ways curved up and away with a gentle twist to bypass an industrial park. The nav. display showed a single car about two miles ahead. Maybe he’ll get off and I won’t have to worry about him. Ralph considered, as Maude’s voice drifted back into his consciousness.

Yall ain’t listnin ta me. Are ya? Well... are ya?

Sorry Mom. What did you say? I was concentrating on figuring out what all these buttons do. Ralph poked a couple of buttons on the display that eventually replacing his mother-in-law’s face with the local news broadcast.

Ralph! Gladys chided as she re-selected her mother on the screen. By now, the kids were trying to gain control of the system and were scanning for some sex or violence that satisfied their sense of suitability for the occasion

The Date

Ralph breathed a sigh of relief as the van approached the Cuba tunnel. The trip to Florida was uneventful, except for that lunatic that tried to run me off the road in the Phoenix exchange. The van performed well, the kids haven’t killed each other or their grandmother, and Gladys is speaking to me again.

The radio coughed and sputtered a report about a minor earthquake centered off the Icelandic Shelf. The usual civil-security warning commercial followed the report and the broadcast transitioned to the weather. It all looks good for the next few days. There’s a storm in the mid Atlantic but it won’t get to Cuba for several days. I’ll need to get the right gear for my golf date. It promises to be a good time for all, if only I can get there before Maude turns Gladys against me. I know that eventually she’ll get to her, and then, the two of them will make my life miserable. She always does, and after twenty years of marital bliss with this pair, I know that it’s only a matter of time before they’ll get around to husband-bashing.

It usually starts with Maude complaining about Herbert her, long dead, drunkard of a husband. By the end of the session, they’ll be dragging me and my shortcomings through the gutter. I guess it’s inevitable since we’re going to be together for five days. He glanced at the rear compartment viewing-screen. Maude was busy reading and looked placid, if not content.

The van sped down the gentle grade into the Key West Tunnel as it dove towards the ocean floor. The loss of sunlight caused the windscreen to lighten its tint enough to see the reflectors that lined the tunnel in cold gray tones. Gladys noticed the change and looked up from her article just long enough to see what was going on. The tunnel walls were only inches away and offered a very poor vista. The kids were watching a music program and were bickering over sound levels and the prowess, or lack-there-of, of the current act.

Ralph smirked at the calm. I’m officially off work for the week, and all is well with the world. I’ll deliver their data-pack and the company will pick up the tab for the whole trip. It’s only the second time they’ve asked me to carry anything for them, but this is a good one. Even though I had to kiss management’s ass to get this gig, I’ll finally get some respect from the other account managers.

I’ve worked for them for nearly ten years and only in the last few months have they decided I’m worthy of ‘carrying’ for them. The first trip was a simple bachelor overnighter to Vegas, but this time I’m really going to get something back for my years of unfaltering loyalty. A full week on the company’s teat and they’re even going to pick up the extra cost of taking the whole family. I know the guys in the office consider me an impotent boob, but now they’ll see... Now they’ll have to admit that management considers me an asset.

They must really want this bad. He rolled the card over in his fingers and wondered what could be so important that they needed it hand carried clear to Cuba. I don’t really care, as long as they’re picking up the tab. I’ll have the last laugh this time.

The weather report calls for high clouds and mild temperatures for the next few days, deteriorating into light rain by Friday. Lower temperatures expected by late in the day with the possibility of thunder showers by early Saturday. I’ll have the package delivered and be back in the tunnel headed north by then. Undoubtedly, I’ll be ready to go home, so a storm doesn’t really make much difference.

I’m to drop the package at the ball cleaning station on the fourteenth tee of the Loral, south course, on Thursday. I’ve a ten o’clock tee-time with a foursome of very understanding fellows. The whole cloak-and-dagger thing seems silly to me but, mine is not to reason why…

The radio reception degraded as the car slid further down the underwater tunnel crossing to Cuba. The kids complained and switched to onboard-synthesized music and, after several minutes of arguing over style adjustments, they came to a compromise that sounded to Ralph to be specifically set to irritate adults to the maximum extent possible. He turned off the intercom channel to the rear compartment and tried in vain to re-acquire the weather report. The company provided rental-agreement didn’t include extended range entertainment so he gave up and selected some music from his youth. It sure sounds better than the crap the kids are listening to in the back.

As they reached the halfway point to Cuba, Gladys started to harp on Ralph about what he’s going to do with the kids when they get there. If you think you’re going to just leave me with the kids while you go off and play golf, you’re wrong! You have a responsibility to help raise them and this is a perfect chance for you to get some quality time with them. Besides I have to take Mom to the markets and the kids don’t want to be involved in that.

I’ll take them on Tuesday and Wednesday and you get them Thursday and Friday.

Does that mean you’re going to take Mom on Thursday and Friday?

Ah… What am I supposed to do with her, take her golfing? I don’t think anyone would like that.

We’ll make them family days and drive around.

Ralph didn’t want to reveal his clandestine appointment, but he needed to make his date on Thursday. We’ll see. I doubt the kids will want to leave the hotel pool. You know how they are.

I’m not sure why I want to keep the rendezvous secret. It somehow seems more important that way. He watched nervously as Gladys reshuffled the clutter on the dash and moved his tucker into the storage bin between the seats. He breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t questioned the data card in the pocket.

I know my ‘nickel/dime’ bit of larceny wouldn’t earn me a place in the crook’s hall-of-fame, but it just isn’t anything I want to discuss with her. He rummaged through his pocket extracting the sky-blue puffer he had purchased at the last pit stop. It’s a small indulgence I afford myself because I’m on vacation. I normally don’t imbibe when the kids were around, but since they’re in the back, I figure it’ll help pass the time.

Gladys immediately noticed his preoccupation with the neat little foil device as he fought with the tamperproof seal. Where did you get that? Did you get me one?

They didn’t have any rose’, so I got you a red. He dug into his pocket and produced a ruby colored cartridge.

Hmm... Well give me a hit off yours, and I’ll mix it with mine. That should spice it up a bit.

And how do I make out in this deal?

You make out by not pissing me off.

I know. I’ll take a tug on yours while you’re tugging on mine.

Don’t be crude. She deftly tore the seal off her inhaler and handed it to him.

He took a single deep draw on the device while she did the same with his sky-blue puffer. They each exchanged devices, exhaled, and took a second draw on their chosen tonic. The combination of chemicals put them in a, sort of, agitated stupor.