He scanned the list of incoming mail, reviewing the subject matter. Surprisingly, most were not regarding prospective purchases, but instead the headers referred to topics like NASA solar flares, tsunamis, Pacific Rim seismic activity and, most bizarre of all, Planet-X impact. The mail was from an assortment of newcomers, whom he had noticed had recently introduced themselves, each a part of a group of scientific researchers based in Antarctica.
He opened one from bugsplat. “Dear beauanderos,” he read. “I noticed with interest your avatar. It seems to indicate your belief that the Mayan Prophesies are more than mere speculation. Do you feel convicted that the Mayans were correct in their assertion that the world will undergo a cataclysmic occurrence on 12/21/2012?”
Ray was mystified. Sure, he had a website – coppermillions.blogspot.com -- that discussed the benefits of stockpiling pre-1982 Lincoln cents for the intrinsic value of their 95% copper content. And that site did link to another – Where Will You Be in 2012? – in which he delved into various topics such as the rapid disappearance of honey bees and the dire implications of their accelerating attrition to the global food supply. But he hardly ventured there any longer. He didn’t think anyone was reading that garbage…and he couldn’t believe that anyone actually bought into that crap.
Acting on an impulse, he logged onto his 2012 site and was stunned. “You have 151,790 followers.” Page after page of responses, that hadn’t been there just a few months ago, were now present. He scrolled down, his eyes fixing momentarily on certain words. Earthquakes seemed to be repeated most often, but close seconds were meteor impact, global level extinction event, and power grid blackouts. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes, hoping that when he opened and refocused them upon the monitor he would awaken laughing, having emerged from an insane dream.
Harboring an almost childlike wish that this could come true, he crossed his fingers and then peeked between them warily. The words were still there, emblazoned across the screen. “The end of Western Civilization,” and “The Fall of the United States,” and “Mountain State Capitol Mourns Loss.” Was this last referring to the potentially devastating consequences of a massive eruption of the Yellowstone volcanic formation?
Now he felt goaded into action. The predictions of the doomsayers catalyzed him in to conducting his own research. Feverishly he poured through one website after another, fervidly seeking answers. Finally, having girded himself with a basic understanding of the imminent disaster, he turned to reviewing the mathematics behind the Mayan calculations. He logged onto the M.I.T. computer through a backdoor that he quickly hacked, and utilized their supercomputer to run a simulation of an algorithm he fed it.
The results soon played back across his screen. It was there. Irrefutable evidence that the Mayans had been correct that the end of the world was coming. A thick lump gathered in his throat, and he found himself unable to speak. Tears began to gather in his eyes. "It's much worse than I could ever have imagined," he thought, nearly gagging as bile arose in his throat.
The Mayans had been wrong about the date! Ray sagged back into his chair, his shoulders slumping in despair.
The Mayans had miscalculated.
They had been off by 45 days.
Ray sobbed quietly as he realized… the End of Western Civilization had indeed begun.
Upon the screen, the corrected date, based upon the algorithmic sequencing stared back at him.
November 6, 2012
hehehe I couldn't resist
