The best day of the year, my birthday, had finally arrived. I had navigated through my 6th-grade year, my inaugural experience of middle school, and finally, I was being rewarded. The day before, my parents had presented me with my very own silver coin; don't ask me how, but my name, in all its glory, was firmly engraved on the side of the coin. In bold lettering, it read, "Timmothe Bradley Brookshaw." Flipping the coin, I watched my name glitter in the sunlight as I sat in front of the window, observing my extended family being welcomed by my mother, father, and sister.
It was the happiest day of the year, yet for no apparent reason, I had this horrible gut feeling, a lump stuck in my throat, with cold sweat now clinging to my clammy hands. Despite this, I brushed off my unease and responded to my grandmother's urgent call. I resolved to greet my family; after all, they had traveled at least a couple of hours to be here, coming from the Detroit area.
Welcoming my family and exchanging greetings with my only cousin, I felt extremely giddy. It was my birthday, after all. After indulging in my favorite foods, stuffing myself with oven-French toast and mashed potatoes, I decided to take a leisurely stroll. Our house nestled next to a picturesque brook, surrounded by ancient Maple, Oak, and Cypress trees. It was my favorite place in the whole world, and as I settled on a fallen tree, it happened.
Time seemed to freeze, my surroundings warping and the air somehow becoming more tangible, heavier, more oppressive. Groans and creaks echoed around me, a great pain blossoming all over my body, distorting my perception. I stumbled, falling onto a fern before finally reaching the brook. As the brief moment of intense pain subsided, I splashed the cool, refreshing brook water onto my face. What had just happened? Why did it happen, and what did it mean? Had others felt it too, or was it just me?
Once I recovered from my temporary stupor, I slowly rose from my hands and knees and made my way back to the house. There was no use pondering so many questions when the people who could provide answers were just 100 meters away.
Upon returning home, I felt like a renewed version of myself, with a shift in perspective and a surge of vitality permeating every inch of my being. Despite already having a sizable figure at 5'10" and 140 pounds, I now felt as though I towered well beyond six feet. Strangely, along with this perceived increase in height came an unexpected sense of slimness, my limbs feeling oddly elongated and almost weightless. It was a disorienting sensation, bordering on unnerving, as I struggled to reconcile this sudden change in my physicality.
Without further ado, I stepped into the entryway, already hearing the shrill and harsh speech of my mother. As I ascended the stairs, I called out to inquire if everything was okay and if anyone was hurt. By coincidence, everyone in my family shushed me at the same time, creating a deafening silence that only exacerbated the noise.
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Approaching the door to the living room, I found my entire family gathered around the television, where a pretty brunette reporter, wearing a flabbergasted expression, was explaining the situation we were currently facing. Apparently, everyone in the world had experienced the strange phenomenon. The most common effects were varying degrees of discomfort in individuals: some reported searing pain, others mild irritation, and yet others described ripples, akin to those seen above flames, but spanning their entire field of vision. Despite the myriad reports on the incident, later known as the ethereal awakening, none of the symptoms seemed to match my own experiences. As time passed, the news station continued to provide updates, with even the president addressing the topic in an attempt to quell mass panic.
Within the next hour, the reporter informed us about people and animals undergoing mutations. Some individuals, like myself, had grown taller, while others had developed sharper features. Unfortunately, some had transformed into grotesque monsters, necessitating intervention from brave service men and women, including police officers and the national guard, who had been mobilized to maintain order. Amidst all this, I was grateful that my family remained unharmed, with none of them showing signs of mutation, myself being the sole exception.
Two weeks had passed since my birthday, and the chill of September had finally set in. It had been a tumultuous fortnight for the world; the internet was down, although television and radio broadcasts still provided regular updates. Despite the civil unrest, descending the stairs from my third-floor bedroom felt like a breath of fresh air, with the sound of my mom bustling about in the kitchen. It was six in the morning on the fifth of September, and breakfast awaited.
Since the incident, my appetite had grown tremendously; I was consuming close to five thousand calories a day. I had shot up to an imposing 6'6", gaining 20 pounds of muscle while shedding fat. Though still slender in the grand scheme of things, for a 13-year-old, I was absolutely massive.
In the ensuing weeks, updates on global affairs trickled in. Canada had succumbed to hordes of mutated humans and animals, with the most successful among the former earning monikers like goblins, orcs, trolls, and giants. While information on the rest of the world was sporadic, it seemed that much of Africa, the Middle East, and Russia lay in ruins, overrun by mutated creatures. However, other regions, like Australia, seemed to fare relatively well. Overall, the estimated death toll surpassed a billion people, with 1.2 billion being the precise figure, marking the bloodiest and most devastating singular event in human history, far surpassing even World War II.
A month later, on October 9, a breakthrough occurred. Scientists discovered the reason behind these bizarre and deadly mutations. In an interview with the same reporter from my birthday, Jessica Walters, a prominent scientist, explained that a new form of energy had been unearthed. She, dubbing it "ether," elaborated that the earth's core had transitioned into a different stage of existence, producing ether as a byproduct.