The Longest Time

 

For the longest time, I’ve said just one more day. Just keep pushing for one more day, but today is enough. I’m done with one more day.

Though the pages will probably be burnt away like, well, everything else sitting here, I hope I can at least find some solace in writing this letter. I think ‘here’ might’ve been a church? Or a school? Funny if it was a church, not even divine intervention could save us now. Maybe someday the land will see a city that doesn’t float far above the smog clouds, or deep below the oceans? At this rate, it seems nothing more than a pipedream.

Right, where to start? Well, the date? A Monday I think, maybe May? The days blur together now more than ever. Sun or moon, both of them only shine faintly though the smog onto the ash filled streets. 

Year at a guess would be mid 2070’s. Hard to remember a time when dates actually mattered. The world is on the edge of death, the hot war of the 2030’s, named because it was the climax of all the efforts of the cold war, brought worldwide economic devastation. Powerhouses like the USA, Russia, China, Great Britain, all devastated by atomic war. None of them were outright killed but the impacts were severe. Most countries globally fell into massive debt, crushed by the lack of imports and the massive influx of refugees crushed living conditions. 

Long story short, a shit ton of nukes made mutually assured destruction. Australia was forced into overdrive to repair their precious economy. The government, being fuelled by the old greedy wankers that all political parties are, decided that coal would be the most useful product, along with micro stoves designed to give all homeless migrants a source of warmth and a device to cook whatever food they could scrounge up. 

Again, the long and short of it was that the dramatic rise in coal usage, combine with the low hanging smog of the hot war, caused climate change to put a lead foot down and fly, which led to riots and social anarchy. So now, Australia is a country of anarchy and war living in constant wildfires, flooding, eroding coastlines, and multiple hurricanes, not to mention the average temperature has risen now, according to the temp thingy on the wall – how that dingy thing survived, only God knows – is around 46 Celsius, barely breathable. Could say that we live in a hell on earth. Funny, the temp thing – thermometer, that’s the name – has a picture of a phoenix on it. Reckon it’d be having a bloody ball with all the fire more than anyone else does. Wouldn’t that be odd, someone benefiting from all this death. Oh wait, of course someone fucking did.

Those damn poli’s. All those bastard politicians made so much money from the coal exports, they immediately put is to use importing shit tons of metals and hiring tones of workers, promising food for there labour. They built massive towers, high above the smog to live in. Only for them though, none of the workers got to live there. Fucking greedy bastards, hate each and every one of them. 

They also built massive military water pontoons for supplies to be sent to, to be transported to them. Can’t think straight talking about them. Couple of groups, call themselves “The army of Minos” or something – some religious crap I can’t remember – have tried to take over the pontoons. Mostly failed, but their efforts are an inspiration to many. They did at one point manage to destroy a tower – called Dedalus I think – and probably killed a fair few of the poli’s too. Point is the bastards left us to rot down here in this labyrinth of smoke and burnt down buildings with gusts and cyclones tearing everything up like a raging bull, while they sit happy in their high up tower thinking they’re above us, better than us. They’re not, they just haven’t lost their wings yet.

That army of Minos though, I don’t know how they survive, they must do well at taking over the supply pontoons to be able to keep up the forces for their attacks. I’ve considered joining them, but they’re too narcissistic. Think that they’re better than everyone because they put up a fight. In reality, they’re no better than the scum in the clouds; flaunting their power, bribing everyone with false claims of glory. If they really cared they’d set up a shelter, a sanctuary, for all the people fighting to survive.

Not every story gets a happy ending, and by the looks of it, that may end up being the case for our world. Humans flew too close to the sun and now, we are paying the ultimate price. But if there’s one thing that is true about humans it is that some of them just refuse to give up. So, consider this my will for however finds this hidden stash of goods. 

My final message to the world, be the spark of a new world, the old times have died, its time for a change. The world must be reborn into a world, not of extremes, but of modesty.

I am old, weak, my time has come, I die not with bang, but a whimper. But hopefully, my words do not fall on deaf ears and the plan to rebuild, to be reborn, has been envisioned and maybe, just maybe the world will live just one more day.

poggle enviroments - Bing images

ashen streets - Bing images