Picture 2
Mark Ethridge’s Picture Choice: Two
Title: Invisible
The leaf landed softly on the grass, beads of dew shined on its surface. It was fall, time for the trees to show their colors, for the leaves to die, and fall, as the world prepared for the time of rest winter brought.
The water on the leaf spoke with the grass with the ground. Both spoke with the air, and the air returned their words to the oceans, the life blood of the world.
“We are no longer pure,” the water cried. “The chemicals of man, the toxins of their machines, their fossil fuels, their manufactured goods, touch everything.”
The ground whispered back, “I know,” as it remembered the countless forests man had burned, the millions of acres of ground they had destroyed, killing everything living. Every worm, mole, rabbit. Even the tiny microbes. “They poison the ground.”
The water knew. It had seen, from the skies, watched, as men hacked down the trees. Thousands, millions, billions of them. Then plowed the ground, flattened hills, raised runoffs, buried concrete, iron, and plastic pipes in the ground, to drain water away, dump it in the rivers, and the ocean, instead of let it soak into the ground. “They believe they rule the Earth.”
The ground knew otherwise. “Soon, they will learn.”
Men separated water from dirt, and what lived in both water and dirt, slowly died. The ground grew hard and dry. And then, they dumped chemicals in it. “Pest control” they called it. The ground, the water, trees, grass, worms, and even the tiny microbes knew the truth. Anti-life they called it. Another wedge in the circle of life, another break in the cycle of nature.
The frogs, lizards, salamanders, and other amphibians paid the price. The water and the ground cried for the loss of so many kinds of life. Gone. Wiped from the face of the world. Murdered. By men.
Their tears, their sorrow touched the sky, who carried it to the oceans, where he set it free.
And the oceans slowly stirred.
The water, ground and sky all knew. The oceans would act. Sooner or later, the oceans would do what they had to, to protect life. Soon, the oceans would bring down man. Then, the world would heal. The cycle of life would be restored.
And Earth would be whole once more.
The air whispered to the ground, “Patience, dear friend. Patience. The blood of life has spoken, and the changes have begun.”
The ground and water both rejoiced. Soon. Soon, they would no longer be separated. The wall man had placed between them would fall.
And Earth would be whole once more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like what you just read? Have a question or concern? Leave a note for the author! We appreciate your feedback!
Mark woke up in 2010, and has been exploring life since then. All his doctors agree. He needs to write.
#DailyPicspiration
Excellent piece of speculative fiction - but sadly it's not fiction!
ReplyDelete