Nature Smiles

• Vivian Cao, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2020

They could only observe in silence.

Like they always did.

It was the end of spring, the street that was once coated with the pink petals of cherry blossom trees was now an empty tunnel of darkness. The breeze that once saved the town from the scorching heat of summer was now a howling hurricane that mimicked the bellow of a symphony of ghosts. The warm sun that once fought the sharp and frigid bites of winter had been replaced by a legacy of heartless droplets that left acidic stains on the protective barrier sheltering the city.

That had all once been a thing.

They could only observe as the family hustled out of their homes, geared with thousand dollar t-shirts layered upon absurdly thin tv screens with unnecessarily large frames. Touchless phones, LV watches, purses made from the finest animal skin that were ripped off bare backs, were all placed meticulously, in the middle of the spaceship. Packs of million dollar bills were placed under the items, along with the first class plane vouchers they had been awarded prior to this disaster.

They knew if the family could bring the skycars, they would.

The spaceship stood firmly under the ghostly white beams of the sun, casting a shadow that shaded the metallic house installed upon the dry ground covered up by intensely green grass. Rich scents of bitterly acridic oil stenched through the empty city, the pungent odour pervading and surrounding the family, yet the family showed no concern to it.

Inside, was a cave of silence, growing denser and heavier until it had turned into a vacuum. Even the chambers of echo are not enough to fill the absence of sound. Even the gift of voice was neglected, forgotten. Instead, it was replaced by an impenetrable void of nothingness.

They continued to watch as the family strolled nonchalantly past the withering lily flowers, the wizened petals had turned into desaturated fragments of crumbled grains and crushed remnants, serving as lost echos from the past.

They wondered if the family ever had a thought of guilt pass them. But after all, what’s a couple of green leaves gonna do anyways? It’s not like it can be compared to the utmost expensive bottle of wine, or the sacred gold embedded on those famous statues, not even the one dollar coin no one uses anymore.

Compared to all those, it’s nothing, right?

As the family packed the last bits of their possessions in the ship, the engine started rattling the solid chains bound tightly around it’s legs, signaling take off. And almost in a robotic fashion, they entered the spaceship one by one marching directly behind the other.

And without a word, the ship rocketed up, leaving behind a trail of lost memories and connection. Leaving behind the organic foundations of living beings.

They left like they were never here.

Like they weren’t the cause of this destruction.

But nonetheless, for the first time in centuries, nature smiles. They smile.