12|21|12 (7 page)
Authors: Larry Enright
Epilogue
On December 12, 2012, a special evening edition of the
Daily News
hit the streets with the simple headline “12|21|12.” It was devoted to a series of odd stories and events from a day that some believed would be the end of the world. The top stories were: “Doomsday Today — details on page 6, Mayan Calendar Predicts End of the World — exclusive photos on page 4, Mayor to Attend Post-apocalyptic Open House — find this and other fun things to do in the Weekend Section.”
Tucked away between a full-page department store ad and the sports section was this story:
Helicopter Crash in State Forest
December 21, 2012
By Adrienne John-Samuel and Jeni Beske Roberts/ Associated Press
Hagerstown, Maryland. A commercial helicopter crashed in a remote section of the Maryland State Forest earlier today. Residents of a nearby town told police they heard a loud noise shortly after noon and reported seeing a plume of black smoke rising from the forest in the area of a nearby abandoned cabin. When the fire department and local police responded, they found the helicopter engulfed in flames and the cabin fully involved. High winds and freezing temperatures hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze, but the fire was declared under control at 1:30 p.m. One firefighter was taken to Hagerstown Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation and is in satisfactory condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident. Their official spokesperson stated, “According to the pilot’s flight plan, the helicopter took off from Washington, D.C., at approximately 11:50 a.m. Its destination was the Philadelphia Market Street Heliport with one scheduled stop in Hagerstown, Maryland. Preliminary information obtained from the craft’s black box indicates that the helicopter’s external sensors registered a sudden drop in temperature around 12:19 p.m. EST. It is not known at this point if the extreme temperatures contributed to the crash, but it should be noted that the helicopter was equipped with an autopilot system. Data shows that it was engaged at the time of the incident. Based on the wreckage pattern and the fact that the bodies of the pilot and the four passengers were not recovered at the scene, state police and federal marshals, in conjunction with the Maryland National Guard, have instituted a rescue and recovery search in a 5-mile radius around the crash site. Identities of the passengers are being withheld pending the results. There have been reports from local authorities of a squatter or squatters living in the cabin, but these reports are unconfirmed. The cabin was directly impacted by the craft’s fuselage and burned to the ground. Investigators are on the scene sifting through the rubble and a full report will follow. The NTSB has no comment on reports that no one was aboard the craft at the time of the crash. Further information will be disclosed as this investigation proceeds. Finally, data from the helicopter’s black box fixed the time of the crash as 12:21:12 p.m. on 12|21|12.”
Other Works by Larry Enright
If you enjoyed this story, please consider Larry Enright’s other works of fiction. All are available in both eBook and paperback. Samples can be found online at amazon.com and at his website:
Four Years from Home
is the story of Tom Ryan, the firstborn of five in an Irish Catholic family. Smart and acerbic, he called himself the future king of the Ryans. Harry, the youngest, was the family’s shining star. Sensitive, and caring, he was destined for the priesthood until something changed, and he abandoned his vocation. When he left for college, he left for good. He never called. He rarely wrote. It was as if he had ceased to exist and the shining star had been but a passing comet in the night sky.
The story begins on Christmas during Harry’s senior year at college. The Ryans have gathered for another bittersweet holiday without Harry. When an unexpected gift arrives, Tom must make a reluctant journey of discovery and self-discovery into a mystery that can only end in tragedy.
Four Years from Home
defines brotherly love in a darkly humorous and poignant tale told by an unlikable skeptic, Tom Ryan.
A King in a Court of Fools
begins with a book —
The Book of Tom
— a journal writing assignment from Tom Ryan’s sixth-grade teacher, Sister Jeanne Lorette. That’s what she called it. Tom called it punishment. In it, he chronicles the adventures of the Caswell Gang, a group of siblings and friends with two things in common — their love of adventure and their allegiance to Tom, their king.
The 1950s book was misplaced a long time ago, and all the children have since grown up, but Harry, Tom’s youngest brother, still remembers it and retells for us one of its stories in a nostalgic, heartwarming, and humorous way that will have you wishing for adventure, too.
Buffalo Nickel Christmas
is the story of a special day. It begins with an ordinary boy in an ordinary world, but as a monster storm approaches, and Christmas Eve finally arrives, the boy discovers that he is anything but ordinary, and that the world is a very magical place indeed.
You will meet some unusual people and hear unbelievable things. You might even see a wizard and a king or two. Sixteen forevers will pass in this book. That’s a very long time, and many magical things can happen when it’s sixteen forevers and still no Christmas. Whatever you do, don’t listen to that little voice inside your head that tells you it’s illogical, that it doesn’t make sense. Listen for the whistling teakettle and be ready with your wish.