Sleeping for a complete eight hours is something I don't remember doing since I became a reporter. My job sometimes take me out during the wee hours of the day. My husband on the other hand is a godsend; he helps out with our daughter on days when I'm unavailable.
Today feels different as I almost broke the record of sleeping for eight hours. I'm up counting the ceiling and waiting for the hands of the clock to hit six so I can go on social media to tell the world that after six years, I finally have a new record.
A few hours into making that record, my phone rang, and I answered it immediately.
"Head to Mocha Haven Farm now. Something just happened and needs to be investigated." The call didn't end when I jumped out of bed. Commands like that didn't come every day, and when they did, it made my fragile heart lose its symmetrical rhythm.
I rushed into the bathroom and was out in 300 heartbeats. My husband was still fast asleep, so I left him a kiss on the forehead and a sticky note on the fridge, so he knew my whereabouts.
The day started off foggy and cold, so I had some extra jackets on. Getting to Mocha Haven, I pulled into the parking lot and grabbed the necessary tools I needed for documentation and report.
"Beautiful morning, Greenville! Maeve here from Skye News Company. Happening live in Mocha Haven, a toxic waste spill saturated this farm area, and right now, a rapid mutation has taken place. As you can see behind me, there are cappuccino cloud dwellers that are beginning to integrate into our society as they are already trying to interact with humans around here. Their method of interaction is the calming effect they emit. I think they want humans to be aware that they aren't harmful to society even though they were formed out of toxic waste. These frothy bodies resemble the creamy top of a cappuccino, and their calming influence, in my opinion, is a gift to society. Stay tuned for more reports coming your way, don't forget to keep watching Skye News."
"Way to go, Maeve! That was an excellent report. I trusted you could do it; that's why I called for you." My cheeks burned as my boss complimented me. She only shows up on occasions as rare as this one, and getting a compliment today meant the day was good.
"But Maeve, we have a problem." My lips tightened as I inched closer to get the bad news. "People are blowing up the phone lines; they're saying that the cappuccino, whatever you call it, may not look harmful, but the fact that they formed out of toxic waste makes them harmful and will cause damage to lives."
"Right! They have every reason to be worried," I added. She paused for a while, then said, "you're going to go back on camera after the toxicological research results are out on these life forms. They look too pretty to be life-threatening." I nodded in affirmation as we all waited for the scientists to reveal the outcome of the research they conducted. The whole of Greenville also waited for this result as phone lines were being blown up, the comment section was wild, and people trooped into the farm, though the police had arrived and stopped them from getting close to the life forms.
I watched the faces of the scientists closely to decipher their thoughts, but they were too skilled at wearing a neutral look.
"The results are out, Maeve." "Lou! You came!" I hugged her. Lou is my colleague at work and also my best friend.
"What do you think of them before we hear the result?" I inquired. Her brows tightened as she took a peering glance at the life forms. "I can't really tell; they don't look harmful, but if they turn out to be, the government will have them cleaned out."
What Lou just said was a reality I had to accept. Inasmuch as the life forms were pretty, if they were harmful, they had to go. I sighed and walked with Lou to hear the result so I could get on camera and deliver the report so the entire public could go to rest. This is the first time such a thing has happened anywhere in the world. Greenville just got super popular.
"Maeve here again from Skye News," I paused for a while to catch a breath before letting the world know what the result said. "The cappuccino cloud dwellers don't look harmful, but they were formed out of toxic waste. After the toxicological research was carried out, results have come out, and I'd like Dave, one of the scientists, to reveal to us what really is the fate of these life forms."
"Thank you so much for having me, Maeve. These life forms aren't harmful at all. The toxic waste was all they needed to sprout up. They have a soothing effect and could be very helpful to society." Dave was eloquent and straight to the point.
"This here will earn the government money, as people from far and wide will travel down to just have a glimpse of its glory." Lou said the moment I got off camera. "I'm excited they aren't harmful," I added and pulled Lou closer for a selfie with the life forms.
"Anyway, some people in the comments are saying the cappuccino cloud dwellers have hypnotized everyone here; that's why we're being positive about them. How did you even come up with such a unique name?" "Don't play with a coffee drinker." I bragged. "I give it to you. You're good." "Thanks Lou." My eyes gleamed with tears as we walked side by side uploading pictures of the life forms while anticipating the good and the bad comments. Humans will always be humans!