Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Earth.
The Horizon
Earth used to have three main colors: blue, green, and white. Vast, massive bodies of water blanket her celestial body. Rolling hills and mountains riddled with vibrant, green trees extended outward and upward from her skin. White, puffy clouds surrounding her, granting her a veil of mystery. At least that is what my grandmother always told me. Looking over The Horizon, these statements are hard to grasp. A black sky, covering a planet that could be confused for Mars if it were not for the brown sludge enveloping 50% of the blood red land. Looking upon Earth now is like looking at a ravaged carcass, depleted of its resources by vultures. Our forefathers tell us, the newer generation, that they “escaped” Earth and saved as many citizens as they could. That Earth’s demise was inevitable, and there was nothing that could be done. That might be harder to believe than my grandmother’s stories.
By Austin Sharrett5 years ago in Earth
Tears and Dust
For the first time in longer than I can remember, I am looking at his face with my own eyes. It lasts for only a moment before the prickling wave of emotion grips my throat and blurs my vision as tears gush forth unhindered. My body starts to tremble within the coarse fabric of my strafe suit, and I sink to my knees in the dust. Great pulses of long suppressed memories wrack my body with sobs as overwhelming sorrow, mixed with inexplicable joy, struggles to break free. I feel my eyelashes catch as I try to blink, unseeing, through the flood of tears. I let myself go, rolling onto my side and surrendering to the unstoppable tide of grief, the catalyst of my pain still clutched in my gloved hand.
By Lincoln Young5 years ago in Earth
Transparent Wood
It seems that there are still too many trees on Earth. We already have glass made mostly from silicon dioxide, also known as silica, but it easily breaks when too thin or not bulletproof, unlike a tree’s heart or the skin of its sheared meat. Let us cut down more trees in their infantile prime and turn them into transparent wood. How neat it would look while keeping the elements away in a new style. A transparent ceiling for stargazing, a transparent floor just in case we want to see the ground or what is happening in the basement, transparent walls green-painted for sport, and transparent windows as the pièce de résistance. We never had transparent windows before. How quaint! How revolutionary!
By Patrick M. Ohana5 years ago in Earth
Mars? No Thank you
The lake had long ago dried up. A lonely dock stood perched on its pilings looking as out of place under the burning sun as an iceberg in tropical waters. Even with the evidence of past water indicated by the bathtub-like rings meandering around the periphery of the lake bed, it was hard to believe this was the remains of a once-thriving vacation destination.
By Michael Trigg5 years ago in Earth
Nature is God
Lockdown Communion with Nature One of the best things that has happened to society as a result of social isolation strategies and lockdowns, is that more and more people are spending time alone in Nature. They are deeply bonding with it and appreciating it. Without companions, the communion with nature is most impactful on the human spirit. When we are alone we have the silence to hear Nature’s voice, to see her subtle emanations. When I contemplate the most profound and awe-inspiring moments of my life, it is always when I am on my own with Nature. Nature is God.
By Sarah Janes5 years ago in Earth
By bark and seedling, thy kingdom come.
The forest and I are the last trees on Earth. From nut to tree I have withstood the vicissitudes of mankind for 600 years. I have survived drought, flood, disease and war but the last 150 years your mankind has taken the absolute pith.
By Lee westbrook 5 years ago in Earth
The Sickness
I tread lightly across the forest floor, not wanting to disturb the crisp brown leaves from their resting place after falling from the canopy of trees above. It was the kind of place that had the potential to be beautiful. Branches perfect for the sun to creep through, creating shadows that dance through the foliage as the breeze bounces over the greenery. The potential however, would never be realized. The years for the sun to break through the clouds and warm the earth were long over, and the trees would never again be full and green. This thought used to leave me unsettled, but like with most things, time took over and my spirit became hardened to such feelings.
By Avary Hague5 years ago in Earth
Among Young Maple Trees
The day dawned crisp and clear. It was a cloudless sky, and the sun rose high above the compound. Even with the slight breeze that came with the unspoiled day, soon, the heatwaves would sweep the area, and they would need to retreat inside. Mornings like this were rare around this time of the year, and so, Janine and Vita decided to head out to the place they discovered together when they first relocated here. It was a small patch in the woods, filled with a cluster of young maple trees, that had begun growing out again. It was the one stretch of greenery that felt astir with life; the rest appeared almost barren and desolate as one would usually see in an average winter. For Janine, it was an untouched part of the disordered world they had now come to gain.
By Chloe Verhoef5 years ago in Earth
Beauty Behind It All
The end of the world as we had known it wasn’t a simple task to complete. It wasn’t my task but my take on it was that the shadows of our sad souls were too gloomy to manifest salvation in safe ways. Safe ways would have involved creating a safer law scheme that included laws that would be in the energy of the world where these laws would never be able to break due to the preventions that the energy holds. Morality needed in all peoples where we as a whole human race set aside our differences for the sake of the planet. It was too late for that. The sake of our planet was in our hands and those holding us down under never concluded the fact that the end was ever so close. Closer than anyone could have assumed. It was a spontaneous happening and it wasn’t scary alone but more than that and more frightening, more than screech blaring madness, and more than horrible of a mess that had left us dead.
By Keanna Barry 5 years ago in Earth
COVID
We never expected it would happen. No one had prepared for it. And when it hit us like a tidal wave, we all drowned. Looking back, I wish my government had been more competent. I wish the rollout of the vaccines had been quicker. But what is the point in flipping over mattresses of the past when I can’t even control the future? There’s no time machine. If there was, I would blow up China. I know it’s a stupid notion, but I’d be desperate. If the Chinese chemists had self-isolated like they should’ve, the virus would’ve never spread. If, if, if. If is bullshit. Ifs don’t save people. Hell, I don’t even believe people can save people anymore.
By Andy Ruffett5 years ago in Earth
