The Future of Our World

This week's post is a bit different than usual. I'm on the staff for my school's literary magazine, and for our 2018 edition, I wrote a story tying in fantasy and environmental issues to hopefully spread that message to some of the kids at my school. I thought I would share it with you all! I hope you enjoy!

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Everyone’s story has an end.

Fact: everyone has to die, eventually.

It’s just nature. Something we’ve all known and accepted since we were young.

We watched the willow in front of the house as it grew, standing tall against the elements. Sometimes, it would crack. Sometimes it would be battered and beaten so much that it fell, its great beauty crashing down into the yard. Often times, we’d watch it as we grew, watch as it slowly decayed, getting weaker and weaker until it no longer produced leaves or colorful flowers. Until it died.

It’s a common occurrence. Trees die, and so do people. They are tied to us, after all. Tied by nature, as all things are. Bound together in an ever-growing web of life and death.

But what if we were more connected than anyone really thought?

Everyone knows what I stated above to be common truths. But the minority knows that it is even more prominent than anyone really thinks.

Fact: everyone’s spirit is connected to a tree.

The beautiful willow in the yard? It’s an extension of yourself.

You don’t have to believe me. But it’s crucial that you listen to what I have to say.

When the tree dies, so does the person. The first summer you had your driver’s license? It flowered with your newfound independence. The day you broke up with your first boyfriend? It seemed to shrink, its leaves falling to the ground as you wept.

But what about those whose trees lie in the forest?

Those whose death is brought about by man, driving into the bark with their axes and machines, desperate to have it for this reason or that. If they found out they were killing their fellow people in order to steal from the Earth, would they stop?

Fact: I highly doubt it.

That’s where we come in.

We’re dryads, a group of creatures whose job is to protect the trees and the lives tied to them. We’ve always inhabited the trees, living peacefully amongst the creatures of the forest. Now, we stand guard, doing what we can to keep the trees, and consequently the people, safe.

You might ask- why am I telling you all this? Why should you care?

Do you care about your neighbor? How about that man living down the street? What about someone living across the world? Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t even know them. But every life is precious, just as every tree is. And right now, many of those lives are in danger.

That’s why I’m telling you this. That’s why you need to know. Because we need your help.

Fact: We are dying.

The fewer trees there are, the less of us there are. Some are too weak to even leave the trees they inhabit. We need more help.

Listen to me. The future of the world is in your hands. Please, help us. And in turn, you will be helping your neighbors, your family, your friends, yourself. But you have to heed my warning. The world and its people are dying.

Fact: You can help stop it.

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I hope you enjoyed the story! I know it is a little different from what I normally post, but I liked this piece and the perspective it offers, and I thought it was a good way to get back into the swing of posting since I've been absent for a couple of months.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or just want to chat, you can email me at naturaladventuresblog@gmail.com, or use the chat bar in the bottom right corner of the website. Be sure to like and share if you enjoy my posts, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter @natural_adventures_blog! Have a lovely day!