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The Leaving

Photo copyright Sandra Crook. Thank you Sandra
Photo copyright Sandra Crook. Thank you Sandra.

We walked away, knowing it was the end of the world as we had known it. Throughout our town and thousands of places the plants were taking over.

Bursting out of their bonds, driving us out of our homes.

It had all started with the mother of an electrical storm, which enveloped the globe. Winds blasted every nook and cranny, driving seeds into every place possible. Some said it was gods retribution for the way we had treated nature. Whatever, the storm had fired up a latent grown gene in the plants allowing them to thrive. Driving out humanity’s seed. Our time was up.

 

Footnote: Sometime I am lucky and a story just writes itself. Then again perhaps this story came from my dislike of the way many nations are plastering the earth with concrete. Whichever thank you Sandra for the photo which gave me the opportunity to vent my spleen.🙂

This Post Has 67 Comments
  1. You’ve surprised me again with an imaginative take on the prompt. I’d never have come up with this idea. It’s a good one and it works. I’m starting to suspect though, that there’s a bit of triffid in your DNA. Or maybe you have a heart of oak?

  2. Dear Michael,

    Like JS, my thoughts went to the triffids. If Nature doesn’t stage a revolt soon, there might not be enough foliage left to revolt. Well done and imaginative.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

  3. I agree with the others, Michael – great take on the prompt, full of intrigue and possibility. And I’m with you, I hate it when I see people tarmacing their drives and so many houses having astro turf instead of a grass lawn. What is the matter with people.
    Vive les plantes!

  4. I’ve written a number of “nature’s revenge” tales myself, but I always leave a remnant of humanity left just to see if we’ve learned our lesson.

  5. I hate too much concrete also. It’s raising temperatures. You know if a place is neglected the plants take over and break up concrete. Nature will always find a way to survive. We need nature, it doesn’t need us. Good writing, Michael. 🙂 — Suzanne

    1. Thank you Suzanne. Besides the health of the globe, I believe that there are many medicines still to be discovered. Each plant species we loose reduces the gene pool that we can benefit from.

  6. It really works this story as a response to the pristine buildings and clean street in the photo, because once the foliage took over places such as that, you would know that the end was nigh for humanity.

  7. this reminds me of a battlefield where many had died. now, it’s covered with grass hiding the mess that happened there. when plants do take over the world, we can expect humanity’s fingerprints to go away with it.

  8. What a refreshing take… usually the Earth is drying up in these stories. Sad for the humans, but kinda cool for the vegetation!

  9. The invasion has already started – buddleia filled guttering is just the first stes. Power to the plants – they can do without us; we can’t do without them! Interesting story!

  10. There was a show on Discovery, or one of those channels, called “100 years after man” that I remembered upon reading this post. It’s amazing how fast Mother Nature can recover if man isn’t interfering.

    1. Russell. Sometime I do forget how quickly plants can re-establish them-self, given half a change. I do enjoy seeing plants comming to life. Thank you for reading. Mike

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