When 6:00 P.M. came around, many of them had just finished supper or were eating it on the couch. The next half hour or so was their chance to get caught up with the news, before they had to run out to get the kids to soccer practice, meet up with the Joneses for a beer, or make their ways back to the malls for some more shopping.
The six o’clock news consisted mostly of political and celebrity scandals, interspersed with weather, traffic, sports, and the odd feel-good story. There is also a very brief portion of world news. Tonight, that news was disturbing to anybody that has family in East Africa or the Arabian Peninsula. It seemed that many crops are suddenly and unexplainedly failing. For the vast majority of watchers, this news didn’t stir up any emotion. Some folks were angry. How come those people in Africa just can’t raise a good crop and feed their own?!
Chapter Six
October 16, 6:00 P.M.
The television screen displayed a news anchor, smartly dressed and with properly stern look on her face. She was a handsome woman, with dark brown hair drawn back in a ponytail to accentuate her strong yet feminine features.
Above her head the text reads “Worldwide Crop Failures”
“Good evening and welcome to our program. I’m Tammy Jensen.”
Tammy possessed the crisp features common with people from Scandinavian descent, with sharp cheekbones accented by full lips. However, it’s her dark blue eyes which captivate most viewers. Those eyes were looking at the camera with an intense look. “We start the channel eight news with our headline story.”
“Yesterday we reported that many crops are suddenly failing in large portions of Africa and the middle east. We reported that farmers in these regions were stunned to find that their crops withered overnight. We now have reports that this phenomenon appears to be a worldwide event. Crop failures have been reported in Australia, Russia, Europe and South America, and the first incidences are being reported in the United States as well.”
“The affected crops include corn and wheat, which are two of the most important crops in America. The list also includes rice, soybean, canola, alfalfa, potato, cotton and others.”
The picture changes to a close-up of a farmer pulling a cob from a corn plant. The plant appears fine, as does the cob. However, as the farmer peels back the leaves, he exposes a husk that appears grey. The farmer runs his thumb over the corn and the kernels squash easily, squirting a milky grey liquid over his hand.
“Crops appear to be rotting away on the stalk, as shown here.” Tammy’s disembodied voice added to the images.
The next scenes are of various crops withering away. From the rotted peas inside the bean in an otherwise green soybean field, to the healthy-looking apple picked from a tree, which when cut in half shows a blackened core.
“The agricultural industry world-wide is facing a disaster of epic proportions as major crops are failing around the world.”
More videos and pictures of dead or dying vegetables and fruit assault the viewer, this time without comment. What more could be said that the pictures don’t already show... The next shots are of runs on grocery stores and markets, as people are in a panic to gather food for their families. This is followed by the inevitable statement where governments are asking for calm and statements of assurances to the public. The hoarding of food items is already well underway in most areas of the world though.
Tammy appeared back on screen. She was the picture of professionalism and composure, despite the severity of the news.
“This phenomenon has not affected all plant types and crops. Local farmers have been contacted, and several have replied that there seems to be nothing wrong with their crops.”
Tammy frowned ever so slightly. A common trick for news anchors to draw attention as they are about to say something contradictory or disputable.
“However, this does not seem to be consistent for all farmers, as we also have confirmations from several other local farmers that something ‘strange’ seems to be going on with their plants.”
The feed switched to another camera. Tammy turned to face the camera, and a new graphic appears on the screen:
“Crop Failures Investigated”
Tammy started to speak after giving her audience a couple of seconds to read the headline.
“The U.N. and many governments around the world have responded to this environmental disaster by directing their agricultural departments to start immediate investigations. At this point however, experts can not agree on the reason for these crop failures.”
The next scene shows a middle-aged man being interviewed by several reporters, in the front lobby of what appears to be a large research facility. His over sized horn-rimmed glasses and his unkempt black hair are a sharp contrast to his pristine white lab coat.
“We are not ready to discount any theory at this time. Our labs are assessing the affected specimens, but it will take several days before we will be able to come to any conclusions regarding the cause of this affliction.” As he spoke, a ticker on the bottom of the screen identified him as a research professor at the Agricultural Research Division of the United States Department of Agriculture. The heavily acronymic line read ‘PR Todd Dees, M.S. M.H.A., ARD, USDA’
One of the interviewers took that opportunity to speak up.
“I have heard from a reputable source that this was caused by a solar flare. Do you have any comment?”
The professor reacted slightly startled. “Absolutely preposterous! We will rule out any hypothesis
