For weeks, Jason had been troubled with a sore back. So it was a great relief when Dot's snoring woke him and he discovered the pain had been reduced to a gental stiffness. He eased himself out of the bed without waking her and adjusted the regulator on the oxygen concentrator that was his constant companion. He bent to unplug it, still without pain. It could run on batteries for a few hours if need be.
Dot was looking a little pale and he shook her gently to try and improve her breathing but she just groaned and rolled over. It would be light soon, so he thought she might appreciate a cuppa.
The concentrator rolled surprisingly easy today and he almost slipped on the polished boards getting to the kitchen. His feet seemed to be having trouble staying in contact with the floor and he had to push against the walls. Maybe another sign of age, but he felt really good today.
The water was reluctant to come out of the faucet into the kettle and splashed a little over the side. He plugged it in and before he could get the mop to clean the mess, the water was boiling over the top. He touched the side of the kettle and the thing wasn't even hot. He tried to boil it again but suddenly the power was cut, which was even odder considering the solar system had battery backup.
Shaking his head, Jason gave up on the Tea and went to the toilet to empty his bladder. Somehow even that went wrong and more urine went over the bowl than into it.
Was he loosing it? By reflex, he looked to his oxegen concentrator. Sure enough, he had adjusted the flow rate much higher than he had intended and the battery was already down to eighty percent.
He throttled it back, but instead of things becoming clearer, he began to feel light headed.
"What's happening?" a strange voice came from their bed room. Frustrated and alarmed, Jason tried to hurry to the room without slipping over. Bouncing worked best. His wife had sat up, breathing rapidly and clearly alarmed. He caste his gaze around looking for the stranger and even looked under the bed.
"Where is he?" he lifted his oxygen mask to ask and was shocked by how high his voice had become.
"He? He who. Oh, me." Dot had discovered her own voice had risen. "What has happened to me? My heart is racing and I feel so weak."
Jason's eyes travelled to the window. Outside it had been raining heavily, but now there were snow flakes dropping from an oddly deep blue sky. The sun had almost risen but he could still see stars.
"Where are you going?" she croaked as he went back to the living room. The needle on the barometer was jammed below the lowest reading. What the? There was a bird standing on patio, breathing rapidly and watching him - there was fear in its eyes, but there was no blame.
Just then his phone rang - he kept it on a container strapped to the oxegen concentrator. An image of Istvan's eyes appeared. He was wearing his scuba regular and behind him the horizon of a very troubled sea bounced around the screen. When he saw that Jason had answered, he removed his mask and grinned. "Hey, Jason. Thank god. I had to show someone and I thought, who's going to be able to answer the phone with this going on."
Istvan hadn't called him once since he had developed chronic pulmonary disease.
"You've got to see this." Istvan cried and swung his phone around to see the view from the boat. Jason's eyes boggled. Though the image was shaky, he could see a pod of dolphins hanging in the air and only very slowly fall back into the sea. "They'll be up again in a second. I don't think they're not doing it for fun. They're just maximising they're oxygen intake."
"Why?"
Istvan seemed surprised by this. "Why what? The gravity of course. Haven't you noticed yet. We're down to about a third and still falling. Must be some sort of gravitational wave, but it has actually changed the gravitational constant - or should I call it the gravitational variable." Istvan had been some sort of scientist before retiring and it didn't surprise Jason that he was still diving at ninty. "We were all under when it started and then the fish just started diving. I was already coming up other wise I'd have gotten the bends like the others did. Nearly didn't make it. Now of coarse the boats motor won't run and I saw the lights on shore go out a couple of hours ago, so there's probably not much point."
Jason finally started to understand. "You said it's a wave? Does that mean the gravity will come back?"
"Yeah, yeah." Istvan was very excited but started coughing and had to stop talking to take a few deep breaths from his scuba gear. He turned the phone to show the dolphins taking off again. "It'll come back, but probably with a vengance. I'll be out of air long before then and this boat is going under soon. Still I'd have liked to have seen what living with four gees was like."
He took another fews breaths and was looking around. "I've been measuring the gravity using the accelerometer in this phone and it's a classic step response. Gravity is probably not going to be quite as strong as it was, just something close." The phone pitched wildly as Istvan grabbed for something to hold. The horizon behind him disappear as a wall water rose up and kept rising. Jason couldn't see Istvan any more but he could still hear him, yelling over a constant roaring noise. "You've probably felt a few earth quakes already. Well a tsuami at one third gravity is going to be one hell of a ride. Hey Jason, who'd have thought you'd live to see the end of an epoche. Enjoy the moment." Without further ado, the call ended.
Jason just stood there for while. Flashes from moments in his life tried to enter his mind, but the past was of no interest. There were still moments of future to consider. He went to find Dot and share his oxygen.
He found her crying over her own phone. She looked up at him, accusingly. "I have to go," she whispered and tried to stand. Even in the weak gravity she was too weak and fell gently back onto the bed. Her phone bounced across the mattress and she tried to reach for it.
He picked up the phone to pass it too her but made the mistake of glancing at the screen. Jason knew it was the wrong thing to do, but he turned the phone over and looked at the message there. "I love you. Ted." He scrolled back and saw her own declaration.
"Who's Ted?"
"Bridge." she managed to say.
"Oh, that Ted." Jason was never one for games - particular games that involved alliances and subdefuge. "Why have you stayed?"
She shrugged. "I don't know" The tears were still falling from her face but seemed to be evaporating - no, some were freezing. He suddenly remembered the snow and realised how cold he was.
"You want to go to him?" he asked.
She nodded and as he wrapped a thick coat around her.
"Take the electric car. I don't think the diesel will work anymore." He took off his mask and passed it too her. She took it greatfully, even desperately and drank deep on it's life giving fumes. "Plug it into the car's outlet and close the windows. Try to make it last. Then the two of you should park somewhere away from trees. The gravity is going to get very strong and the houses and trees will come down." He wasn't sure if she was listening.
She was already almost out the door when he added, "He mentioned great grand children when I met him. Steal some of those. They've won't use much oxygen and they'll have a world to themselves soon. Oh, and do drive slowly." She turned once and her red eyes smiled above the mask, then she was gone.
"I hope you make it," he said but, as he lay down, his vision and the pain were already fading.
Who would have thought? That saying about true love even applied to gravity.