In 1977, Canadian author Margaret Atwood published Dancing Girls, which would be her first of many short story collections. In sum, that collection totaled 14 stories. And though "When It Happens" was not the best-known short story contained in the collection, it is one of Atwood's most widely read short stories of her career.
"When It Happens" follows a 51-year-old woman named Mrs. Burridge, who spends much of her time making food and canning food for her husband Frank. The couple previously had two children, both of whom they love dearly. But the children have since left the nest, leaving the couple bored and without much to keep their time occupied. The couple's boredom worries Mrs. Burridge, who is prone to catastrophic thinking. At the same time, she is deeply worried about her relationship with Frank. Mrs. Burridge's thinking grows more disordered and violent, and she daydreams about a doomsday scenario. She eventually believes her prophecy, creates a survival pack and leaves her husband and her home. On her journey away from her home, Mrs. Burridge comes across two men who she believes intend to do her harm. She raises her gun to shoot both of them but is transported back to her kitchen, her daydreaming over.
