First Story

It was early morning. The sun had just peeked over the trees on the horizon and Jacob was a awake. Today was the big day and it looked like the weather was going to cooperate. He practically jumped out of bed thinking about the lumberjack breakfast that's aroma had reached the upstairs loft. He had no choices to make about dress because it was a work day. He pulled on his coveralls, brushed his teeth in the basin next to the window and headed downstairs. There was nobody there which was odd. Usually the kitchen would be teaming with people, workers getting their morning fill, the ladies cooking and preparing lunches for the day and of course all the kids preparing for the school day in the school house next door. There was a feast on the table, all untouched. Jacob took a sausage, still hot like it had just come from the frying pan, and ate it. He pondered the situation, checking the pans on the stove which were all still hot. On the counter there were partly made sandwiches and some apples cut up. It was as if everyone had just disappeared. He picked up the phone to call papa, who on the next acreage. He let it ring twenty times and no one picked up. That was strange, gramma was always home. Jacob ate a piece of apple, not sure what to do next. He had not prepared for this, well nobody could prepare for this actually. But Jacob led such a simply life, everything always fell into place and he had a very standard schedule.

He thought about what Sheriff Thompson would do. Look for clues. Jacob looked around but the more he took in it seemed clear that they had disappeared. What would the Sheriff do with that information. Probably just what Jacob was doing. He ate another sausage then realized he was so hungry and food was getting cold. He loaded up a place and sat down where he always sat and had breakfast. He had a plan. He would just go about the day like normal and see what happened. There wasn't much else he could do. After breakfast he would call the Sheriff but Jacob kind of already knew the result of that call. No answer. He took a bit mouthful of eggs and wondered what he would do if everybody had disappeared. Weird was all he could come up with.

He finished breakfast, got up and took his plates to the sink like he always did. When he went to get his boots on he noticed something very odd. All the boots and shoes were there. Not that is was anymore odd than nobody being in the kitchen but he did note it for future reference. You never know when some alien or foreign being would ask the question. Was he now thinking that it was aliens that took his family. Hard to come up with any other conclusion so that was what he would stick with for the time being. He headed out to the barn.

More strange things. All the animals were gone. The horse stalls has fresh shit on the floor, the chicken coop has fresh eggs and the in the cow barn there was fresh milk in the buckets. They had been milked this morning! but were gone. He looked out into the barnyard hoping that there would be a huge gathering of people and animals and that it was all just a big joke on Jacob. He saw nothing. There were no ducks in the pond and even the usual swarm of flies in the pig pen were not there. It was as if every single living thing on earth had been annihilated. Wow.

All of a sudden Jacob realized what had happened. He was God.