The end is near

This week we introduce a new feature, The North Carolina Minute, written by one of North Carolina's best known and loved storytellers, J.C. Knowles. Let us know what you think about it.

There has always been those folks that believe the world is coming to an end at any given day and time.

Back in 1887 the stars fell from the sky in a beautiful shower of meteors.  Within the next couple of days the world would come to an end. This shower of meteors was a forewarning of things to come -the destruction of the earth. People ran wild in the streets in their night clothes. People got together on street corners and had small prayer meetings. Some of the folks even hid under their homes and in basements thinking they would escape the destruction. There was singing in the streets, with people shouting to the top of their lungs praising the Lord. When morning came men were running around trying to collect old debts. Churches were filled with people as the sun rose early from that chilling night of horror.

Some folks from Franklin County rode all night to get to Raleigh to tell their friends that the Day of Judgment was at hand. They were advised to sell everything they had and retire to the church and wait on the Lord and His mercy. For two whole days the entire eastern seaboard was in distress and wondered just how the end would come. Would it be by fire, water or the sun dropping to earth just as the star did, and melt the earth?

After three days and nights of excitement, folks began to realize that the Lord had other plans. So, it was back to business as usual.