Followers

Friday, May 25, 2018

The beginning of the end


Before the 21st century had time to grow old, the planet Earth turned cold. At the same time, volcanic eruptions and ferocious, swirling storms tripled and quadrupled in frequency.


The moon, half covered with the detritus of Man's overwhelming population, could no longer be fully seen from Earth.

Most of the world's population starved, as oceans filled with plastic and could no longer support life, any more than could countless miles of trash-covered tracts which had once been profitable farms.

Sending garbage to the moon had been the brainchild of a man ruling a large, powerful country. His poorly-paid labourers gathered waste and packed it into huge rockets built for one-way travel. Overpaid scientists then sent the garbage rockets on their way.

The disposable space ships were timed to self-destruct on the face of the moon, thus spewing their garbage, all of which would then orbit the earth along with skeletons of satellites from the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Space — living space — residential space — was still at a premium on Earth. Millions of starving people crowded into tenements, shacks, and tent cities, while the wealthy sat in air-and-water-purified mansions, eating food cultivated for them (and them only) in huge greenhouses.

Somewhat frivolous fiction written for Fiona's

Sky Watch Friday 

—in hopes we'll always see the sky!

22 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello, pretty moon and skywatch! I hope hope it never comes down to sending trash into space. It is bad enough we are trashing our own planet. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

A glimpse into the future that is, sadly, a real possibility. Well written and great sky shot.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Perhaps not so far-fetched... a well-told tale! YAM xx

Penelope Notes said...

Hahaha ... not funny but loved reading such creative prose! Actually, this fictional account isn't too far-fetched for humankind, is it? We have a tendency to dispose of things in places other than our own homes and habitats.

Sharon Wagner said...

I bet there are some pretty unusual things floating in space....forever.

Small City Scenes said...

We will see the sky and Moon. What will we do if any of us ever come to their senses? That is the question.
MB

carol l mckenna said...

Not so frivolous ~ You should right a book ~ great post ~

Happy Weekend to you,
C & Z

Joyful said...

You've certainly captured where mankind seems to be at the present moment. Very sad indeed. Have a safe journey to BC and back. Enjoy your reunion with loved ones.

Alana said...

As much as I enjoy dystopian literature, I hope this vision never, ever comes true.

magiceye said...

A beautiful capture and interesting read.

Powell River Books said...

Sounds like you could flesh this out into a book. - Margy

Jackie@travelnwrite said...

They say truth is stranger than fiction, so no telling what one might come up with these days!

Unknown said...

How I hope your fiction does not come true or has it already? A frightening future to look forward to. Great photo of your current sky - a lovely colour with the silhouette of the tree against it.

Lady Fi said...

I love dystopian fiction, but hope that we get our act together long before this happens! Nice picture.

thomas said...

We have to take care of mother earth

Al said...

Pretty shot! I'm pessimistic and don't think there will be as many people alive at the end of this century as now - due to our shortsightedness, either war, disease, or famine will kill most of us. Don't get me started!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Hah, love this post and we may be further along than you think!

Mara said...

Well, I can think of a few people who would think sending rubbish up in space would be the perfect solution! Let's hope that the more sane will prevent this from ever happening!

Nancy Chan said...

I hope someone can come up with a solution to tackle the amount of trash we throw away!

italiafinlandia said...

Hello Kay,
well written!
I am already scared if that is the future!
Enjoy your Sunday!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Kay -- I'm so afraid this is as close to truth as it is to fiction. I think the same thing about Margaret Atwood's 'Handmaid's Tale'. (And I think you should write a book too.)

LA Paylor said...

Aiiieeeeee

maybe people will wake up and stop causing so much universal trouble!