The waves came suddenly, washing away all the filth and anxiety of mankind. We became so enamored with ourselves that we forgot about the health of the planet and became ignorant of its grievances. We forgot that it still existed, under our feet and in our lungs. We abused it and succumb to its unforgiving retribution.

The waves washed over the cities and through the farm lands. Destruction wasn’t something we had been accustomed to, only internally. We couldn’t imagine how our neighbors would fare and didn’t care. Agony, defeat, and poisoned by uncertainty, we suddenly realized that our fears were less important than our need to survive. We turned our pain inwards and became angry. Anger that we forced upon others by fighting and stealing what was left. The oceans within receded as we were bashed against rock and metal. Water became red with the death of thousands. Then black.

The levies were not enough. The preservation of nature we hid behind was not enough. The flooding consumed us all. Even boats could not survive the waters on-rush. Water we saw as the enemy because it was the only enemy we had left. We waged war with it, trying to keep our heads above it. The mountains became our strongholds and we built cities in the sky. But Earth’s punishment against our follies did not end there.

Tectonic plates shifted and tore our mountains in half. The sky became tainted pillars of vaporized water. Again, we drowned, this time in toxic fumes. Science couldn’t explain what happened next as another ice age froze any land mass that remained. The sun could no longer protect us but the cold offered no warmth. Slowly slipping away humanity became a distant memory as species who could survive the deep freeze became the dominant life form.

Ripples in the freezing water came to a halt and reminded us that we were alone, forcing us to reflect and lament the questions of the past. If only…If only…