Corn off the cob - Microfiction
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Corn off the cob
Angelina stared at the mountains beyond the cornfield and sighed. “It’s so beautiful! How could this happen?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No snow in two years. The crops can’t hold up.”
The relentless sun penetrated the fabric of their shade umbrella, blistering their skin.
Then the corn began to pop.
"Corn off the cob" backstory
I will be honest that I don't think I succeeded in telling a "story" with this one. It is not the story of Angelina and Gabriel. There is no conflict between them. There is no resolution. This is a futuristic story of life with climate change. The world as we know it will be the same in some ways — beautiful mountains on the horizon — but our globe's delicate natural systems will be damaged to the point where some areas are simply unlivable. Many regions will experience extreme heat, drought, and impairments to farming and food production.
And there will be raging, out-of-control fires that destroy thousands of homes and millions of acres of wilderness. Oh wait. That is actually happening right now.
While I am one of the most optimistic people I know, I wrestle with this daily. I hope those in power come to understand their crucial role in helping to ensure our planet can sustain life beyond our current, living generations. Those in charge of environmental policy need to actually care about the environment, now and in the future, and be in dialog with scientists who have the hard evidence that now is the time to create meaningful critical disaster-averting change.
There are actually reasons to be optimistic. Millions of businesses and municipalities worldwide are taking action on their own to create change, by reducing their carbon footprint. If you want a reason to cheer, check out www.drawdown.org.
I'm not trying to preach, here. I don't want to ruffle feathers, start arguments, or stand on a soap box. But you may find that I will occasionally attempt to create a little awareness through the vehicle of fiction.
Thank you, as always, for reading.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://jaynalocke.com/2018/08/11/corn-off-the-cob-microfiction/
Sometimes the environment itself becomes the main character. The tension emerges out of the elements (in this case, cornfield vs killer weather). If you get pop corn straight out of the fields, you'd better eat them quick. You wont have time to run for cover :)
I really want to be optimistic about our planet and our children's future, but i'm running out of ideas to convince myself that common sense and good will will prevail. There are so many powerful idiots.
Think about this: Venezuela will shortly be the only country in the world without universities. The evil minds in power did not mind destroying them as long as they got rid of the critical minds that bothered them.
They've done the same with private industries, never mind people starve. They are now destroying the ecosystem (the arco minero project); never mind, they are just thinking short term. They need money at all cost.
So, popcorn straight out of the fields? Yep, it can happen.
Thanks for that in-depth comment, @hlezama. Yes, you’re absolutely right that greed is such a huge driving force that it blinds those in power to the bigger picture and the devastating effects of their self-serving, short-sighted decisions.
I am very sorry for what is going on in Venezuela. I have a good friend from there and I’m saddened by what she has told me. But never give up hope. Without that, all is lost.
Thanks, @jayna. We do our best, but it's so overwhelming. I think i am taking refuge in Steemit, like many of my colleagues, even though this is not even profitable at the moment, just because at least it allows us to develop some of our potential (a chance our own country has denied us) and breathe an air of hope in the possibilities of alternative realities. It's escapism, but we'd rather take that than total despair.
Art, fiction and social media are all wonderful for that. I agree that to view our most challenging times as an opportunity for growth and expression is a good use of one's energy!
I think the last line works really well, actually.
Thank you, @fromage!