Brighid Adam

By Brighid Adam

The man serving coffee disappeared. At first, we thought that he went on break. But after a couple of days, we realized that he was truly gone. He was the first.

I sat in class, trying to keep up. The professor was droning on about ancient Greece when his marker fell and hit the floor. When I glanced up, there was no professor.

Some of the students saw him vanish—and the disappearances were happening all across campus. In fact, people all across the globe were vanishing at an increasing frequency.

A lot of nut-jobs had theories, but I, and only I, knew the truth. The coffee server and professor had both been gay. Of course, I tried warning people. I even made a picket sign. But then the nut jobs showed up, waving signs about aliens and global warming.

While I picketed, a few students stopped to laugh. They threw insults and rocks. I used my picket as a shield, and I blocked most of the rocks, but more came. One hit my shin. Another hit my back.

The crowd grew. The gays pressed in, and murder was on their lips.

But then a woman stepped forward. She outshouted all the rest.

“He is clearly afraid of embracing his own feelings towards men—we should surround him with love and acceptance—“

She vanished mid-sentence.

Chaos erupted. People screamed and ran, but they couldn’t escape the gay. More of them vanished, one after another. One girl popped out of existence, and I thought that I saw the outline of a man flash as she disappeared.

I should have celebrated, but the woman’s speech bothered me. One night didn’t make me gay. It didn’t.

As the days passed, the disappearances came faster. Approximately thirty percent of the globe went missing. And then the electricity stopped. Of course, I should have known, electricity was gay too.

I went days without seeing another soul. I scavenged scraps from the supermarkets. I burned my books to stay warm. I was trapped in the middle of a deserted liberal campus. I was hungry, cold, and lonely.

That was how he found me. The man wore fresh clothes. No blemishes marred his perfect bronze skin. He smiled and motioned for me to follow. But I knew it was a trick. So I ran.

I rounded a corner, but there he was again, except now his chest had been bared, and his abs would put Chip and Dales to shame.

No! I fought to remain pure. I averted my eyes, I fled the other way.

But there he was again. He appeared right in my path, and now he wore nothing at all. My eyes trailed down towards his—No! I refused. I fell back and scrambled backwards, until I hit something warm and soft.

His hot breath brushed my neck. His stubble tickled my ear. His arms wrapped around me, and I sagged into him.

The world disappeared. The only constant was his grip around my waist. In the distance, a light grew brighter and nearer. The intensity became unbearable and I clenched my eyes tight. Heat enveloped me.

When he released me, I fell onto soft grass. The air smelled sweet. Birds chirped, insects hummed, and a rainbow arched over paradise.