What Lasts in Us

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

"Hey Dad."

"Hey Charlotte."

"In all honesty, do you think the world is going to end?"

I don't turn to look at him. I keep my eyes focussed on the television, because if I look away for just one moment, someone is going to pick me up, swing me around, and toss me over the edge and into oblivion. I can't let that bastard Mario beat me.

Dad sits on the sofa behind me. Without even looking I know he sits how he usually does when reading the newspaper: one leg crossed over the other, ankle resting on his knee, the paper spread out in the space between.

"Honestly," Dad says, and I hear the newspaper rustle. "If it's not in my lifetime, it will definitely be in yours."

He states it so matter-of-fact, but it doesn't scare me or creep me out. We're always having conversations about the end of the world, and when it will occur, what it will be, what will happen. I've grown up with all this hanging over my head, because I can't help it if my parents are really into the apocalypse and legit believe it's going to happen. My parents, the Doomsday Preppers.

I just fail to believe it all – well, not all of it, but most of it. I know that the path we're currently on is leading to our own demise – what with how the environment is treated, the overpopulation, the housing crises, all the pollution.

Donkey Kong sends my character flying; thankfully Kirby is a fantastic flier, and I make it back to the Arwing, narrowly avoiding Mario's fireballs. I make Kirby punch the crap out of Mario by continually pressing the A button.

"And what do you think will ultimately destroy all life on earth?" I ask, and I curse as Ness jumps in, electrocutes Mario, and sends him flying to his death. 1 point to Ness, zero to me. Except now he's going to die. Revenge is sweet.

"Well ..." Dad pauses. "Whatever I say will divide people, especially your mother, but I honestly believe it will be aliens."

And his answer is enough for me to press the Start button and pause the game. I uncross my legs and twist around in my position on the floor. "Aliens?" I repeat.

Dad nods. "We've yet to truly discover beyond our solar system; we've only really begun being successful with our trips to Mars. There could be hundreds of species and lifeforms on other planets, maybe even similar to our own. We're definitely not alone in this world, and quite frankly, if we're able to visit other planets, who's to say that someone won't visit ours?"

"I thought you were going to say maybe a zombie outbreak or our computers will turn against us," I say. "You know, like the Terminator."

"Technology eventually becoming self-aware and then potentially becoming a threat to mankind? Number two," Dad continues. "And then disease at number three. There are just too many of us, and we're constantly travelling all over the world. People will undoubtedly bring something back, it will mutate, and of course, when you have so many people living on top of one another, it's easy to catch," he says. "And of course, when there's not enough education or proper hygiene, it's hard to contain."

"I would've thought disease would be number one."

Dad pulls a face. "Yes and no," he says. "It depends who you ask. As much as we know and wish to know, we'll never actually know what will cause the end of the world. We know it's going to happen, but how? That will always be up for discussion."

"Huh."

Dad turns to the next page of his newspaper and settles back into the sofa; a spot he hardly ever leaves when he gets home from work. "A bit of food to ponder, eh?" he says.

I roll my eyes. He's always getting sayings wrong and mixed up – whether on purpose, I'm still not a hundred percent sure. I think Mum used to try and correct him, but now she never says anything. She's probably given up – I don't, and never have – been bothered trying to correct him. I like hearing him get it wrong. It's what makes Dad Dad.

"What happens if the computers became self-aware and they unleashed a virus that caused people to become zombies but the zombies were in fact aliens in disguise?" I ask. "The four horses of the apocalypse. Zing."

Dad laughs. "I'd prefer only one thing to happen, not multiple things," he replies. "Because then mankind would stand a chance of fixing themselves."

"Maybe our time's up," I reply. "Maybe the apes are just biding their time, and we'll all wish we paid attention to Charlton Heston."

"I knew I was forgetting one!" Dad exclaims. "I would love to see the apes rise up against us. It would be so fascinating."

"When you're a prisoner, or once you're dead?"

Dad shrugs. "Either or."

I turn back to the television and unpause the game. I make Kirby turn into a rock and drop him on top of Ness. He goes flying straight into Donkey Kong, and the force behind the contact knocks the two over and away from my character.

"What does Mum think?" I ask.

"Not dinosaurs, that's for sure," says Dad. "Computers. The Terminator really screwed with her mind when she saw it as a kid."

I'm sure it did. It screwed with my mind when I first saw it, and it still does. I still can't get my head around the time-travelling and alternate universes. Thinking out loud only confuses me more.

"What movie did it for you?"

"Two things." The newspaper rustles as Dad turns to another page. "War of the Worlds and Planet of the Apes. They didn't screw with my mind per se, but they did make me question my own mortality. And it really got me thinking that we're not quite on top of the food chain as we like to think we are."

For anyone wondering, I've seen my fair share of movies that deal with the end of the world. But the one that really 'screwed with my mind' as my Dad puts it, is Planet of the Apes. The original, with Charlton Heston. My Dad kept going on and on about it, telling me it was something I had to see. Especially the ending.

And when I got around to watching it, I could understand why. Besides the charisma of Charlton Heston (who my mum is a big fan of) it was that scene with the Statue of Liberty. Iconic.

I've taken too many hits to still be alive. Ness won't leave me alone, and I've just missed Donkey Kong's powerful punch that would've sent me flying. A hundred and sixty percent – one hit and I'm outta here. So I avoid my opponents, I avoid all the items, I avoid the Pokéball that contains Blastoise and hope that the red shell will target another player and leave me alone.

But of course that doesn't happen. I try to make Kirby dodge past Mario but he knocks me down, and before I can defend myself, he grabs me, spins me around, and tosses me into oblivion.

That bastard.

Author's note: The game Charli is playing is Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64.