This is a work of fiction based on a true fact [Link to Wikipedia article]. All references to persons or places living or dead are purely co-incidental and unintentional.
================
There was no one in the rest stop, but the parking lot was full.
It was a Thursday just like any other. People were going about their daily tasks as they did on any other normal day. Just a few hours ago, things were going on as usual at Ajidokoroumeshima, the small restaurant. Akihito San, the owner of the restaurant was doing his normal rounds of the table, inquiring his regulars as to whether orders had been delivered correctly, and whether the food was of normal standards.
It started with the drone of a large aircraft approaching. The patrons assumed that the plane was headed towards the Imperial Army base a little more to the east of the island. What they didn’t know was that this aircraft carried “Fat Man” and was headed straight towards them.
They didn’t quite realize what hit them. At first they were blinded by the flash of light, and then in a matter of seconds, the searing heat hit them. Their hair, skin, flesh and bones were melted to pulp. The ones in the epicenter had no clue, and what saved them the horrors was that it was all over for them in a matter of a few seconds.
It was the first time in the history of mankind that one weapon, one bomb had caused so much devastation and havoc. Never again did mankind use that weapon again.
6 hrs after the blast, there was no one in the rest stop, but the parking lot near the restaurant at Nagasaki was full. It was full of cars, with no drivers to drive them.
Image courtesy: Wikipedia
===============
This post is written as a part of the Write Now prompt for August 13, 2013.
Mahabore's Mumblings 
RIP the innocents. Given the trend of the word politics, the day isn’t far when we will witness the weirdly named atomic bomb again. Just saying.
@Satyadeep, that is the scary part, none of the politicians the world over ever seem to realize from past mistakes or learn from history at all 😦
In no time we’ll have to leave for space, then conquer planets while we blow each other’s planets like in the video games. 😉
@Satyadeep, yes, that is so true, in our apathy we will not even leave space in peace 🙂
A great take on the prompt. I only hope mankind is kind enough to not repeat such gruesome incidents.
@Padmanabha, I am hoping that mankind is smart enough not to repeat such mistakes again
I do hope that we have learned from mistakes. Good use of the prompt and welcome to the Today’s Author Write Now community!
@Rob, thanks for the kind words 🙂 And yes, I do hope that we have learnt from our past mistakes
It’s frightening how a weapon can destroy everything and traces of them too in less than a second.
@Ashwini, yes, that is the scary part of the story. Hopefully we have all learnt from our mistakes in the past and will not repeat them.
I always wonder what fun humans find in killing fellow humans. Sad it was. Pretty sad.
@Rekha, I don’t know how far it is true but I remember having read somewhere that humans are the only species who actually kill others of their own species for reasons other than having to eat them. Incidents like these serve to remind us of this saying.