Fog

by Jeff Baker

“Look out there,” the father said. “Can you see it?”

“See what?” his son replied. He was sixteen. “I can’t even see across the street because of this fog.”

“Yes, I know,” said the father.

“Just glad we’re inside,” the son said. “That fog came out of nowhere.”

“Yes, I know,” the father said. “But this is no ordinary fog. Watch this.”

The father pulled out his cellphone and snapped a picture. He showed it to his son.

In the picture, the street scene was bright and clear. Broad daylight. Tall buildings rising up from downtown in the background. Not a trace of fog.

“Hey, that’s cool!” the son said. “How’d you do that?”

“I didn’t,” the father said. “Try it yourself.”

He handed the cellphone to his son who flipped through the pictures then took one of the swirling fog himself.

“No fog,” the son said staring at the new picture. “That’s lowkey weird.”

“Not everybody can see the fog,” the father said. “People go through the day not realizing the fog is there.”

“Wow.” the son said.

“Fog covers,” the father said. “It hides. But if you see the fog you know that there is something hidden. Maybe by apathy or ignorance. Even willful ignorance.”

“Ignorance,” the son said. “Of what?”

“Current events,” the father said. “Turmoil. This is the 250^th year of this country. There is danger all around the world and people are retreating into their own fog but only some other people can see it.”

The father sighed.

“People listen or look at the news they want to hear. What they want to believe,” the father said. “And that is a major first step in the undoing of everything. This fog doesn’t just hide, it announces to people that the ones who can’t see or won’t see the fog are lost in it.”

“So, what can we do?” the son asked.

“We can stand up,” the father said. “Stand for truth and honesty. Even in a world where the word ‘truth’ is distorted and misused. Stand up to help the downtrodden, the disabled, the disadvantaged. For those who haven’t been as lucky as we have.”

The son nodded, grim-faced.

“In ‘A Christmas Carol,’ Dickens has the Ghost Of Christmas Present show Scrooge two figures and tells him; ‘This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, but most of all, beware this boy.’”

The father sighed again.

“The world is at war and doesn’t know it,” he said.

The father and son stood there at the window and watched the fog.

—end—

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Thanks for reading! Nice to be back! —-jeff