Whenever I have something to say about the story I’m posting, I usually put it at the bottom of the post. This time though, I thought it was better to put it at the top because it might be too confusing otherwise. What you’re about to read is an excerpt of a short story I wrote a while ago, called “desolation of the wind”. This story has been submitted for a contest, so I may be stupid for posting a bit of it now. BUT, I don’t really expect to be on the list of nominated stories, so I estimate the risk pretty low. Once they’ve made their list public, which should be sometime this month, I’ll know I’m not on it for sure, so I’ll then post the whole story on the blog for you all to enjoy (at least, I hope you’ll enjoy). It’s a bit more abstract, this story. The goal of contest, and the new magazine it was for, is to illustrate the damage humans are causing the planet. I hope the excerpt will make at least a little bit sense, and it would be awesome if you’d let me know whether or not you’re keen to read the whole story. EDIT: the contest people have published their shortlist, and mine isn’t on it. I won’t put it up on the blog just yet though, as I might try to submit it to others. ps keep an eye on the aftermath website, I think we’re going to see some great stories there soon!
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The wind kept whirling around itself, slow-seeming from afar but in reality as fast as it’s ever moved before, going inland in a steady but horrifying pace. It destroyed and it wept, helped by the Air and the Water. It wept for all the needless ravage it was causing, but it also wept for all the needless ravage which had been caused by the humans. It understood its ultimate purpose now. It knew what to do. It was going to fix the problem, it would destroy all the humans and rid the planet of its vermin.
Oh wait, but what was that? The wind immediately stopped its churning and evaporated most of its anger. It stopped struggling against its inner sense of wrongness for the destruction it was causing, let go of its siblings, and puffed into a quiet and softly touching breeze. The breeze ruffled the clothes of the few ‘humans’, no, no, these seem to be the real humans. Their frightened expressions changed to a mixture of relief, their bracing posture relaxed again. They went back to planting new trees.
The wind was at peace again. Not all humans are destroyers, not all worked against the planet. The wind whirled around these humans for a little bit, playing around, toying with the dust. Dust? There shouldn’t be any dust here, it suddenly realised. This used to be a lush area of trees, plants and animals. The wind felt the Air and the Earth agreeing with its indignation. The Air conveyed a feeling of suffocation, the Earth an imprint of lost. Sadness welled up in the wind again, making it expand, and it quickly abandoned the humans in search of a good place, lest it lost its temper again.
The wind continued its never ending journey, across drab, dead-looking plains which used to be abundantly green and full of life. It flew across man-made structures, several with those high pipes sticking out, emitting all the wrong components for the Air. There used to be tall grass here, stretching from horizon to horizon. On and on the wind blew, getting more agitated with every passing different area, each time flying slightly quicker and gathering in one of its siblings. It couldn’t hold back the memories of what it all used to be, and again it started to spur the Air and the Water to shed tears for what was lost.