“I don't understand. This has been going on all day?” Samantha flipped through the several sheets of paper. Each had the same image of three circles of varying sizes, placed inches apart from each other.

“Darrin's teacher said he was drawing those during class. He hasn't stopped, I had to take his paper away.” Barbra motioned to their son sitting in the corner. The toddler sat on the floor, a crayon clutched in his hand. The child shook uncomfortably, clearly confused as to why his drawings were taken from him.

“They're perfect circles. Do you think he was practicing shapes?”

“But look at them, each page has the same three circles in the exact same place. They're not even placed evenly. Their placing seems deliberate.”

“Hon, I think you're getting too upset about this.” Samantha was cut off by the sound of scratching on the far wall. Darrin, fed up from being denied paper, jumped up and frantically started to use the far wall as a canvas. Drawing the same three circles in one corner, he moved further down, leaving the same pattern every few feet. His two mothers pried him from his mission and struggled against the screaming child, attempting to calm him.

“What's gotten into him?”

“It's not just Darrin, Sam! His teacher told me kids throughout the school had been sent home for doing the same thing. Colleen from across the street, I saw her trying to stop her girl from sketching on their driveway. Look outside!” Samantha peered out the window to their neighbors across the street. Sure enough, on the driveway in bright red chalk were the same three circles, carefully spaced out in the same configuration as Darrins images.

“What's going on, Sam?” Barbra sat, clutching her squirming child, desparetly trying to continue his work. Confused tears slowly fell down her cheeks. She only looked up when Sam's phone rang. After hanging up, Sam turned the television on, and sat down next to her. The screen flickered to life, opening on the news. The reporter was visibly shaken, choking on their words.

“We have some grave news to share. We can't be certain of anything just yet, but as of ten minutes ago nuclear warheads have been detonated in and around the Middle East. This, along with the rise in civilian protests, has caused the President to issue a nationwide curfew, which local police will enforce.”

“And to think, at work our biggest concern was the Artic melting.”

“You didn't hear? It's been announced the ice sheets have melted past the 'safe zones'. Floods will hit us in hours.”

Darrin pulled himself from Barbra's lap and went to the TV. Crayon in hand, he drew on the screen, atop the newsreporters displayed map. As he spoke, the child drew three simple circles. They corresponded pefectly with those topics being discussed. Once he was finished, he let the utensil drop to the floor.