AFTER THE DAY: The history of the Valley.Part 1:The History of 'The Day' Peters Story.

June 18th 15AtD

Peters Story of the Day.

I asked Peter if Luke's story was true? "Oh yes," he said, "Except for the bit about Jerusalem being hit first, I remember the first bomb falling on Tehran. But: there as many think one, as think the other. I don't think anyone really remembers, properly, we all doubt ourselves listening to the others. And it doesn't really matter, in the end, like luke says, 'they destroyed the world to prove the kindness of their gods.' Death cults all of them. 'The Day' made the details seem unimportant."

Peter told stories in a different way to Luke. He sort of invited you in as if he was sharing a secret. He was a farmer down to his bones. And his voice was deep and resonant, as a child I remember thinking his voice sounded like it grew out of the earth. I think I asked him, where he was on, 'The Day', but he might have just told me the story.

"I don't remember people thinking there would be nukes flying about. It was just the old story, the Jews and the Arabs shouting at each other. The news talked about 'international tensions', but people went off to work, did their shopping, children went to school. I was just 15, and after school, I had gone to muck out the cows with my dad, when Jenny my sister came running out to us, shouting that we had to come and watch the news. Dad just said 'chores is chores, you do them till their done', like he always did. But Jenny was insistent, 'Dad! There's some kind of big war, mum says you have to come and see.' Dad never stopped work just for the news, but this time somehow he must have known it was different. He rested his shovel against the wall of the barn, and strode towards the house, with Jenny, in her too big wellies and me behind, half jogging to keep up."

As Peter told me his story, his eyes were welling up, but they never broke into tears, he wasn't that kind of person. His way was to hold on to feelings and just get on with things.

"And at the house we pulled off our boots, dad pulled off his gloves and waterproof leggings, folded them and laid them on top of his wellies, like he always did, and we went inside. The ritual of entering the house did not change, even on, 'The Day', we lined up at the sink washing our hands in turn. Looking through the sitting room door to see the telly."

"Mum had heard us come in and came out, with a wild look in her eyes, saying, 'They have done it, there's been bombs.' Dad scrubbing his hands in the sink, said, 'what kind of bombs?' And mum said  'nukes, Pete,' dad was always Pete, I was always Peter. 'Theyre bloody nukes.' Mum never swore, not even 'bloody'."

"Dad shook the water from his hands as he always did, and dabbed his hands dry with the 'Outdoors' towel. Then we went through and watched the News They were talking about the Jerusalem bomb by this time and 'high level international talks.' There was a kind of stunned silence even with the News readers talking."

"Mum said, ''What are we going to do Pete?' But the silence remained."

"Dad shrugged, 'What can we do?' He Said, after a month end or two, 'We are just small people, they don't care about us, they never have. We just have to make the best out of whatever world is left to us.' It seemed strange to me, Mum always seemed to be the 'together' one, whilst Dad would get irritated over small things, never out of control, but irritated. But here he was Ice cold calm in the middle of what was the biggest crisis I could Imagine, and Mum seemed lost, as if there would be no tomorrow."

"Then the next Bomb fell in Israel, and then another in Russia. And then all the power went, a flash of light so bright it seemed to shine through the very walls, the big thump and another further away then the roaring wind and then quiet. And we just sat in the Dark for what seemed like the longest time. Then Dad stood up and started to put his boots back on."

"Mum asked, 'Where are you going? You can'then leave now?' in what I remember sounded a quite accusing tone."

"Dad said 'We can't sit in the dark, there's old paraffin lamps in the barn and I can put some diesel in them for the time being, not the best but better than nothing ,though we'll get headaches if we use them too long.' He said"

"And that was how it was, Dad just stepped from the old world into the new. It took Mum a little longer  but by the end of the night she had found candles, and candle holders. We all moved into the kitchen round the Aga. Mum cooked a hot meal and somehow it was as if despite everything something normal carried on. Later Dad took the tractor and a chainsaw up the hill and dragged back any and all wood he could find. Later as the winter started dad brought all the feed down to the house, and the animals he thought were the healthiest and built lean to's against the house. He worked harder than I had ever seen. We helped of course, and later as survivors from the town saw the constant plume of smoke from our chimney others came and helped too."

"That's really how the community got started. Dad died of course in the second year of the winter, and he got some infection and it just wouldn't clear. Mary said to me if he'd stayed indoors and rested, he might have made it, but it got onto his chest and one morning he didn't wake up." Mum died not long after, Jenny always said she couldn'the live without him. I hated that explanation,  it made it sound like she deserted us."

"I miss him, without him we would never have survived. And I miss her too."

And that was Peter story. The irony is that it was the same year Peter lost his life with the others trying to protect the crop from the storm.

"That's really how the community got started. Dad died of course in the second year of the winter, he got some infection and it just wouldn't clear. Mary said to me if he'd stayed indoors and rested, he might have made it, but it got onto his chest and one morning he didn't wake up."

"I miss him, without him we would never have survived. "

And that was Peter story. The irony is that it was the same year Peter lost his life with the others trying to protect the crop from the storm.