THE MOMENT
"What a day...," Iris admired her garden plot as she wiped the sweat from her brow. The evening sun kissed the horizon and as much as she loved working on it, she also looked forward to quitting time. The garden was one of several that she tended around the neighborhood. In this new world, she found herself with extra free time and she chose to do the things she enjoyed.
The extra food helped, of course. But, at the same time, she was only one person. The only person left on the planet. She grew more than she needed; but, she didn't let herself fret over the waste. She had other hobbies that she could do alone; but, there was something special about manipulating the the raw soil with her hands. Still, with the sun on its way down it was almost time for dinner.
She crossed the yard and returned to her main house. She'd chosen a nice neighborhood to live in and claimed all the homes for herself. Most of them were used for gardening; but, she sometimes found herself in the mood for something different and would stay in one of the other homes. She customized each one with a unique vibe to suit her moods. Being the last person on Earth did come with its share of loneliness. It was more than Iris expected. Early on, only sometimes, she regretted her decision. It took several weeks to get through that period of doubt. But, once she came to terms with her decision, life got a little easier. It helped that she decorated each of the neighboring houses quite differently. She could still almost pretend she was staying at a friend's house on those extra lonely nights. And, the faint loneliness was entirely worth the stillness she had.
Animals were still around; that was a deliberate choice she'd made. But, she did her best to maintain an 'active' neighborhood that discouraged them from getting too close. They had the rest of the world to themselves, she only wanted a little slice. It was nice not having to deal with another stranger unexpectedly. She never had to worry about anyone else but herself and it was freeing.
Iris entered her main home and went straight to the bathroom to wash up. Then, she wandered into the kitchen for a drink. Being alone meant she had to watch her habits a little more carefully. She usually had water; but, she was going to eat soon and let herself celebrate her hard work throughout the day. She opened the full fridge and pulled a bottle from the rainbow of sodas inside.
After a quick twist and a hiss, she was enjoying the sugary strawberry flavor on her way out of the kitchen. She was walking past the door when a heavy knock surprised her.
"Oh, damnit," she mumbled and tried to recover from the sudden start. She even jumped a little and yelped, spilling soda all over her hand. She hesitated for a second. Answer the door or clean her hands? She decided to do both and wiped the red liquid on her jeans while she set the soda down and answered the door.
"Hey, Iris!" A teenage girl with twin afro-puffs stood on her doorstep. She wore a nametag that read: 'Britt', and she held a white plastic bag with three containers of food. "Big order tonight, what's the occasion?" she asked as she handed the bag over.
"I dunno...," Iris shrugged. "Just having a 'happy' day. I think I've gotten my routine pretty much set; life is good," she grinned. "It took a few months; but, it's finally gotten through my thick skull. I'm the last person on Earth," she said. "Of course, I suppose it helps that I can still access services from alternate Earths."
"You don't have to," Britt offered. "If you wanted to really challenge yourself, I mean. You can disconnect from the AlterNet completely and rough it out for a while."
"Oh, no thank you," Iris giggled. "I just found my groove. I don't need to change it up just yet."
"Then, don't," Britt smiled and waved as a black portal opened next to her. She stepped into it and disappeared with one last comment that made Iris smile some more. "It's your Earth, run it however you want."