The Beginning

"It stated with the Bees. One day the beekeeper went out and the bees were all gone. No dead bodies nothing, the hive was just empty. All across the country the same thing. The bees had simply disappeared."

Is it a science fiction short story or a real life scenario? The beginning of the end. It starts with something strange and at first seemingly insignificant. A minor species just disappears. Weather it is caused by bacterial, parasitic or viral infection is unknown. Or could it be something stranger and unheard of? A species wide genetic mutation that suddenly manifest its self in a manner similar to a computer virus. What ever it is scientist are baffled. We are helpless to stop the extinction.

Then it is the cats. Thousands of cats mysteriously die of kidney failure and veterinarians are unsure of the cause. The poisonous chemical, melamine is found built up in their kidneys but no one knows if is the cause or a symptom. Wheat gluten is found to be contaminated with melamine and no one can find the source of the contamination.

Meanwhile back on the farm without bees to pollinate the flowers thousands of crops fail. Millions of tons of fruits and vegetables never get to market. The price of fresh produce skyrockets causing huge increases in the costs of other consumer goods. And because of the crop failures the balance of nature goes haywire. Other insect species die off. And then the birds, reptiles and small mammals that depend on them.

And even more mysterious deaths occur. Dogs and horses die of brain hemorrhage. Squirrels are found dead in the park, poisoned by a toxic build up of tannic acid from acorns, their normal food. The situation turns critical when cows and chickens drop dead in mass and the cause is found to be an infection to which they are naturally immune. Food shortages put pressure on governments. Governments put pressure on each other.

Fingers are pointed at pollution, genetic engineering and biological warfare experimentation. Ecologist blame the scientist. The scientist blame the military. The military blames the terrorists. The terrorist blame the infidels. And the infidels blame God.

Mass starvation leads to riots in the street, military rule is imposed. Ruthless dictators rise to power at first in third world countries and then in places that were once democracies. Social order crumbles, World War Three is inevitable, and the out come is known in advance.

It's just fiction.

OWL

April 7, 2007