Rocks Fall; Everyone Dies
Ker-plop. Ripples spread out from the impact point of the pebble.
Kenny watched for several minutes, wondering if the fish in Stark's Pond felt that. What they thought about rocks suddenly falling from the sky. He wondered if it was distressing to them. If maybe the fish had liked the part of the sand over there, and now the rock ruined it. Could fish die from rocks falling on them? Did fish form emotional attachments to their friends and neighbors? Or even their own family?
Kenny got up to hunt for another rock.
Sunday was clear-skied and windless; the air was cold but the sun was bright. The streets were quiet; nearly everyone was in church.
Kenny wondered if his mom would yell at him for skipping. She probably didn't notice.
With a fat, brown pebble in hand, Kenny returned to the edge of Stark's Pond and sat down in the snow. The rock was slightly chunky; the shape reminded Kenny of a gun. One short fat part, one longer skinnier part. Well, that was a stretch; a boot was probably a more accurate shape come to think of it. He held it next to his boot to compare the colors. His shoes were a darker brown, but the pebble had a nice rich red brown. Maybe if it was a boot it would be leather. Maybe the grayer swirls could be the stitching, like how the really nice boots had cool little patterns.
Kenny hurled it into the pond before he overthought it. The ripples looked the same as the ones from the round pebble. Did fish know the difference between a brown pebble and a gray one? Did they care? Would they like if he threw littler pebbles? Did they know anyone was throwing the rocks? Did they think the thrower wanted them dead, or did they think it was just some random cruel joke?
Traffic noises picked up; church must be out. Stan told him people often went to restaurants after church to have lunch. Weekend lunches seemed nice to imagine, never mind restaurants. Kenny liked Chinese food. So oily and spicy. He missed working at City Wok and bringing home leftovers. He wasn't sure why he wasn't working there anymore; it probably had to do with his attendance record.
Kenny went back to looking for rocks.
The air was still, the snow was crunchy. Distant birds chirped. Kenny had learned in school that birds sang to protect territory, or to call for mates. They were probably talking all kinds of dirty to each other right now. That made Kenny laugh.
This time, Kenny didn't return to the pond until he'd stuffed his parka pockets. One rock, two rocks, seven rocks went into the pond one after another. The surface clouded with dust. The fish would know the wrath of God. Those who were not crushed would choke on the stirred up sand. The pond would be devastated from end to end, and the children of the survivors would tremble in fear for years to come.
Kenny held the eighth pebble in one gloved hand, rubbing the smooth surface as he watched the sunset. Mostly orange; not enough clouds to turn pink or purple. Could fish see the sun?
Not wanting to try topping his previous performance, Kenny switched to studying pinecone floats. There were tons of pine trees near Stark's Pond. One pinecone could float in one place forever, spinning in slow methodical circles. Others didn't float at all.
Kenny tried hitting the floating pinecones with a rock, but soon it got too dark to see. The temperature was dropping, so he went back to the pine forest to find a patch of ground without much snow.
Lying beneath a needly bough, Kenny wondered if the tree might fall on top of him in the night. Or maybe it would be struck by lightning and he'd burn to death. Did that kind of thing happen if no one was there to see it? If no one found his body, would he really be dead? If he showed up at school the next day and never talked about it, did this night really happen?
What if he didn't go to school? Would he just be truant? Or would anyone be worried? Would anyone look for him, or even wonder?
Did his parents know where he was right now?
Snow fell on Kenny's face, making him cough.
"Hey, look who I found!" Cartman's shoe connected with Kenny's ribs. "Get up Kenny! We're going to steal our tools back from Craig!"
Kenny blinked his eyes open. The sun blazed brightly on the snow; Cartman, Kyle, and Stan were staring at him.
"Yeah, Kenny, come help us!" Stan said. "You owe us one anyway."
Kenny watched his classmates walk away after that. Not looking back. No doubt in their minds that Kenny was following.
Kenny stood up and brushed dirt off his parka, and ran after them.