Esta é a novela "Correntes do Mar", de Gardner Dozois?
Foi originalmente publicado em 1973, mas eu o li em " O Homem Visível " , uma coleção da curta ficção de Dozois de 1977.
O garoto se chama Tommy. Os alienígenas são chamados de The Thant .
"What'd you want?" Tommy finally said.
"We've come to say good-bye," the Thant replied. "It is almost time for you to be made not."
Termina da seguinte forma:
Tommy was very quiet in school the next day. He sat silently in the back of class, with his hands folded together and placed on the desk in front of him. Hard slate light came in through the window and turned his hands and face gray, and reflected dully from his dull gray eyes. He did not make a sound.
A little while later, they finished winding down the world.