Prologue

Faolan loved his job working at the town's main nursery. It was one of the few family owned businesses left in town. He worked there both as the manager and did Florist work to bring the Nursery extra income. He wasn’t as successful as his brothers who both worked in fortune 500 companies, and his parents never let him forget it. Yet Faolan found he was happy with what he did. Was life perfect for him and going how he wanted? The answer would be a firm no. He had been dating the owner's daughter, and she dumped him out of nowhere a few weeks before.

Faolan was busy finishing the day's paperwork when there was a knock on his office door. He got up quickly and opened the door to see the owner of Big Bobs Nursery, Robert Harrison.

“Mr. Harrison, it's good to see you sir. How can I help you?” Faolan asked, as he led the man into the office and offered him his desk chair.

Robert Harrison took the offered chair and let out a long sigh. He looked guilty and was about to say something that would ruin Faolan’s day. He straightened up and looked Faolan in the eyes and slowly started,

“ Faolan, we have known each other for over six years. You have helped this place grow, and put so much time into it. Just like me, and even my father did when he first opened this place back when I was a kid. When you were dating Jess I thought you would take over it with her. Then Jess met that guy and plans changed. I’m sorry, really, but I have to tell you this. I need you to call all the employees and tell them we will be closing our doors. I will run the last 2 weeks, and today will be your last day. Think of it as me giving you a vacation.”

Faolan stared at him dumb struck. He shook his head trying to stop himself from saying something he shouldn’t. Disbelief, anger, and resentment flooded his mind. He had let things go, and moved on. But this was different.

“Do that yourself, and the paperwork. It is your business, and I’ll be on my way out.”

Faolan turned to leave, his face ice cold and flat with no emotion.

“Faolan, it wasn’t your fault. It just was a good offer from a major company. Don’t be that way, and you know you are like family to us.”

Faolan stopped in disbelief and turned to look Robert in the eyes. ‘This man, seriously’, his mind roared.

“I am losing my job, my career, and you want to say that to me. I worked hard for you. You went from seventy hour weeks to popping in whenever you wanted. I’m like family, that's a joke I won't get a dime from your selling this place. So don’t even start, I’m leaving everything you need in this office.”

Faolan punctuated that statement by dropping the company keys on the ground and everything on him that belonged to the Nursery and walked out. Leaving a stunned Robert behind as he slammed the door behind him. He moved quickly, not looking back and ignoring the few closing employees watching him with surprise. Once out the doors and on to the street Faolan looked at the dusky pink sky of dusk. He walked three blocks before he thought about where he was going.

Faolan walked on only to stop and look at the ground. Then felt it again like a shift under his foot. He looked around quickly and noticed cracks on the ground and thought of something. A few years back a giant sinkhole formed out of nowhere in an hour in Florida. Hundreds of people died and many buildings collapsed into it and around it. He looked around and ran over to a sole Police officer who was talking on his phone.

“We may need to evacuate the area sir! The ground is shifting and cracks are running around the ground and along buildings.”

The Police officer looked at him with an annoyed look and slowly turned pale as he noticed what Faolan was pointing out. He quickly checked to make sure his body cam was still on, and started to radio for help. Faolan and him worked quickly trying to warn people as more officers, and firemen showed up to move people away from the center. That’s when Faolan saw the woman with the baby stroller trying to keep rolling it over the quickly failing ground. He quickly ran over to help her and felt the ground shift again.

He quickly removed the baby from the stroller and handed the baby to the woman.

“RUN!” Faolan shouted in urgency and steered her towards the Evacuation zone. Then his heart stopped as he felt his foot sink back. Without thinking more about it he pushed her forward, and he fell back.

He didn’t feel pain, didn’t see himself die, and nothing like books happen like your life flashes before your eyes. He fell and it felt like eternity. Then he felt drowsy and overcome with fatigue as if he was laying down to fall asleep. He still felt like he was falling, but he closed his eyes and drifted into the embrace of sleep.