Earth Day/Sustainability Stories
1 min
2025 Sustainability Short Story Grand Prize Winner
Genevieve F. (8th)
I've heard stories of Before.
When the world's seas were a deep sapphire and alive.
When the rolling hills were green and sunlight lit up the grass.
When the bright blue sky was dotted with fluffy clouds and gold shone through their gaps like hope beaconing the day forward.
When the forests had trees with leaves.
When money couldn't buy happiness.
When fish would gulp, wolves would howl, and birds would sing.
But that was Before.
This is Now.
The ocean is a rainbow but of trash, a wasteland.
The countryside is barren and hills are just an obstacle in between the dead plains.
The sky is bleak and gray, to even inhale, a mask is required if mortality is unwanted.
The forests are a collection of stumps, miles and miles of whispers about Before.
The rich and wealthy are the only ones with a chance at life.
The animals are gone, hunted to extinction, silence rings out like the thunder from Before. But with no water even thunder is just an entity of Before.
But this is Now.
Now is hopeless.
Now is a clock counting down. Counting the seconds before the last of the Before is gone to the Now.
But what if it's not hopeless, what if the clock could be reset?
Would a seed of desire of a long gone tree or book of the teachings of Mother Earth be one last recourse?
Given a chance to save us all would we prevail?
Could we set aside our differences for the common good?
Is competence enough or is it just too late?
Humans had previous opportunities to save us all but we didn't, and now, we sit in solemn silence awaiting an unthinkable second chance.
But I can't help but wonder, what happened to our first chance?
2025 Sustainability Short Story/Art Finalists/Grand Prize Winners
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