Waves of subtle sounds were conveyed from the living room to the bedroom where Jigi slept.
"Oh no! Not again," he whispered while writhing on his bed. He jolted from the bed with furiousness.
"Johhhhn!!!"
John was the only one who could turn up the volume of the television so high that the sound could be heard across neighborhoods.
"What kind of son wouldn't let his father sleep?" he muttered to himself while padding barefoot on the creaking floorboard.
He got to the living room, where John was watching television.
"You keep watching cartoons at the age of 13? Oh, come on."
"It's not a cartoon, Dad." John sat on the floor in front of the black-and-white television, with his legs crossed and fingers pointing at it.
"What's that?" his dad asked, slowly walking towards the TV as though he had seen a ghost. He rubbed his eyes with his palm, arched his back forward, and stretched his neck in an attempt to get a full glimpse of the news channel his son watched.
"Report has it that in the next three months, the ozone layer might be fully destroyed, causing the sun's rays to annihilate the Earth," the news reporter said. "Thank you, I remain your favorite host, Sarah!" she added.
Jigi's pupils dilated in fear. The rumors he heard about two years back were about to become a reality—rumors of the end of the world, rumors of the saints' rapture, and so many other rumors, all of which pointed to one thing: the end of the world!
"Dad, you seem scared." John turned and glared at his father's face, closely watching his expressions.
"Me? Scared? Nope! I can't be, son," he said, tapping his chest. But John was no fool—he could sense the emotions in his dad's voice. It was that of fear.
"Come on, let's go to bed. It's quite late. You've been up all day; it's not good for your health," he said, leading John by the hand into the bedroom.
The next day, they went shopping at the local market.
"Dad, what if the rumors are true?"
"What rumors?" Jigi cut in.
"The end of the world."
"Hey, listen to me." Jigi stooped to the sandy ground to level his height with that of John's. He then cupped John's face with both hands. "If the world was going to end, it could have happened a long time ago."
"Together forever." He kissed his fingers and made a peace sign with the same hand.
"Together forever." John kissed his hand and imitated the same sign. It was their sign in times of distress and uncertainty.
It wasn't long before a sudden shadow was cast upon the sun, causing darkness to seize the Earth.
"Daddy!!" John shouted. His dad hastily stood and pulled him close, embracing him as he glanced around in confusion. All he could hear were the screams and shouts of women, men, children, and birds of the Earth.
"Come on, let's get out of here."
He lifted John onto his shoulders and paved his way through the agitated crowd amidst the thunderous clatter of running footsteps. He ran with his son in no specific direction.
"It's happening! The world is about to end!" a stranger who rammed into Jigi while running shouted.
Another woman ran past him, an old lady whose steps were trembling. "Oh, Lord, forgive me my sins," she said with a thick country accent. Jigi gazed at the woman as she lifted her gown above the ground while running.
"John, close your eyes," Jigi whispered to him as he found a shelter where they could hide from the stampede.
He ran to a small hut at a hidden corner.
"We'll be safe here."
He dropped John while glancing in all directions to ensure safety. They sat there for a while, trying to catch their breath while they watched the crowd ram into one another. Some adults were trampled on the ground by the large crowd; others cowered, uttering inaudible words while gesturing the sign of the cross.
He glanced sideways at his son, who sat right beside him with both palms covering his face.
"Here..." Jigi calmly said.
John looked up.
"Hold my hands," he added, wearing a smile on his face.
"Let's say a few words of prayer."
Jigi continued as they both gripped their palms tightly. His dad had always hated religion and despised Christians, unlike his little boy, who loved biblical stories and believed in the supernatural.
They both chanted in unison with their eyes closed, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..."
They went on reciting till the end, and his dad, Jigi, ended with, "Amen!"
By the time they both opened their eyes, there was a calmness and relief that seemed to encircle the atmosphere. The turmoil had stopped. Everyone had their gaze upon the sky—it was bright once again, and the shadow that had cast upon the Earth had vanished.
"It's over, son." Jigi held John within his embrace as they stood, watching families hug themselves in a circular manner. Some stayed on the ground with their gaze on a focal point: the sky. Finally, there was a breath of freedom and peace.
Twenty years had gone by, and John sat in a chair facing his dad.
"It's April 22. You know what that means." John's deep voice broke the lingering silence.
"It's Earth Day," his dad replied.
After the incident that happened in the 1960s, after the reports of the constant depletion of the ozone layer, the government declared the 22nd of every April as "Earth Day," a day to mark the sensitization of people against environmental pollution so as to protect the ozone layer from depleting.
"Remember what happened back then in 1969?"
"The solar eclipse, which we presumed to be the end of the world?" His dad laughed. "How can I ever forget? It was the first of its kind, and it happened when rumors of the Earth coming to an end were on every f*cking newspaper."
"Yeah, that was crazy." John nodded while wearing a smile, his gaze fixed on his old man.
"Come on, let's get you inside. We've had enough chat for the day," John said as he rolled the wheelchair upon which his dad sat.
"What's our slogan again?" his dad asked.
"Together forever!!" they both echoed in unison while laughing simultaneously.
