Farewell to Winter Woods
Liam stood near the sugar maples with his father. Snow covered the ground, turning the entire scene into a winter wonderland. It was pristine, and it was the beginning of spring, tapping season. They would start to collect the sap from the trees and turn it into maple syrup.
His father turned to Liam “You ready?”
Liam beamed back, too excited to say anything.
“Now,” continued Liam’s father “You’re going to watch me, ok?”
“Alright. Thank you so much, daddy! Someday I’ll be a tapper just like you.”
“I’m sure you will.” He ruffled Liam’s hair.
Liam, now grown, stood in the same woods. He stooped and looked into one of his large white buckets, now brimming with sap. He sighed. The sap was flowing. Warm weather had made the sap flow, making the trees produce more sap than they usually would, at least, for now. Soon the flow would cease and his trees would be done for the season.
“Stupid warm weather. ” Liam muttered under his breath.
He began to walk around the woods, collecting the full buckets from the uncovered dirt.
Liam sat on his bed, watching the evening news. Reports continued on the state of Earth. Things were falling apart. For some reason the Earth was moving towards the Sun, it had been for some time. Even the greatest scientists couldn’t figure out why. People were panicking. Liam however, just sat, stewing in his melancholy. The earth would be mostly fine for at least another two hundred years, the scientists had determined that much. The thing that worried Liam was the toll that the warm weather was having on his trees. Canada shouldn’t be 70 degrees Fahrenheit during early spring. With a sigh, Liam turned off the T.V.
Liam sat on his computer, looking at his bank details. He hadn’t made much money since the warm weather had arrived. His main source of income was leaking away. He looked hard at his near-empty account. ‘There isn’t much in there.’ he thought to himself.
Liam turned his head and began to look at the other tab that he had open. It was a non-profit that was looking to find a way to fix everything. They said something about stellar engines. For some reason, Liam got the feeling that 4 grand would be helpful. It would be half of his savings. Maybe it would help make a future for the next generation of tappers, save earth – and the trees – for them. He looked at a picture of himself, smiling. He sighed and decided that he would make a decision the next day.
When Liam got up that morning he walked to the town to get more supplies. He would need more barrels for his sap. Not a single drop could be wasted, it would be his income for the year. He got to a general store, to buy some of the industrial-sized barrels. It would be expensive, but Liam hoped that the excess sap would make up for the additional cost.
Liam eventually walked out of the general store, patting his pockets regretfully. He wouldn’t be able to buy anything else that week. However, he still looked around, eyeing the shops and their signs. One that caught his eyes advertised ‘Hybrid maple trees. Able to thrive in hundreds of degrees.’
Against his better judgment, Liam entered the store. It was more of a stall, a simple man behind a cart.
“Hello!” the man said. “Are you looking to buy some of my seeds?”
“Why yes. I am I-”
“Well, that’s great!” The man began his spiel, cutting Liam off. “I have northern Sugar maples hybridized with southern sugar maples. These can withstand great amounts of heat. They should work for you.”
“Well, they do sound like they’ll be hearty. Could probably save my business.” Liam began to mutter. “Could be helpful.”
“That’s right it could!” exclaimed the salesman. For a low low price, you would be secure in the knowledge that your income will not burst into flames.
“Well, how much will it cost me?”
“How many are you buying?” the salesman asked eagerly.
“A small grove, 50 or so.”
“50!” Delite shown in the salesman’s eager eyes. “Well, that will be close to one thousand dollars.”
“One thousand?” Liam was taken aback. And with his savings. It would be quite a blow. But, It would secure the future, not for future generations, but him. It would be worth it. “Well,” Liam said slowly. “These trees will be important.”
“Yes, yes they will.” said the salesman.
“I’ll buy one hundred.”
Liam handed the salesman, who was practically bouncing with excitement, his credit card. A single swipe and two thousand dollars were given to the salesman.
Liam hummed as he planted the trees. They would be his livelihood, they would be his security. He thought regretfully of his bank account, now a little less full. He decided not to spare money for the scientists, his livelihood was more important, that was why he had bought the trees.
30 years later, the last of the new trees had reached maturity. Liam was no longer a spry young man, having reached his 50th year under the bright hot sun. He smiled sadly. The trees he had bought all those years ago had finally grown up. They could finally secure his livelihood.
His money may have run out. After all of his other trees had died he had been living on what was left, waiting, hoping that the trees would grow. And now they had. They were beautiful. Even though no snow covered the barren rocky dirt, even though the forest that he had known as a kid was gone, he smiled because he had a new chance. He had focused on himself and worked to make himself a future. If the world burned it would be long after he was gone.
Over one hundred years later, Warp Laboratories was suffering. They hadn’t been able to save Earth. Though the fall of Earth wouldn’t be for another 50 years, they all knew it. Their funds had been cut short by the government after the government. Each had prioritized their own people over the good of them all. Some had focused on leaving Earth, some had just tried to quell the fear. All had failed. Only a couple hundred lucky people had managed to leave earth and who could know what kind of life they would be able to lead. Them being selfish had doomed Earth.
In the end, Warp Laboratories would be about forgotten, short of funding, and just too late.
Fire. All of Earth was on fire. The last humans had died or left Earth 50 years ago. Warp laboratories had tried and failed. Humanity had dissolved and turned into infighting. Everyone started to look out for their self-interests. In the end, they all fried.
Now, a forest in northwestern Canada was getting hotter. These trees, bred to be able to withstand extreme heat were some of what was left of a dying planet, and even they were dead. Only their husks remained. Their limbs were extended, as if reaching up towards the vengeful mother in the sky that would burn them, bought them. This forest that had been grown hundreds of years ago by a man named Liam stood discarded.
And the forest began to burn.
Aditinal short stories:
If you have compliments, critique, or just want to start a discussion, feel free to comment below!
I just discovered your website and I’ve been reading through your stories. I really like how they’re all allegory in some way, or at least commentary (Well, I havent read them ALL yet, but that does seem to be a theme). In my opinion, all good sci-fi and fantasy is meant to reflect on the real world, and yours does. This one is a pretty clear climate change metaphor, albeit on a more cosmic scale, but could honestly be a metaphor for how any global disaster affects individuals. It starts small, with a child and his father, and “zooms out,” for lack of a better term, showing readers how the Earth’s trajectory towards the sun affects not only one man, but his business, followed by Warp Laboratories, followed by the entire planet, before focusing back in one the one constant, the sugar maple trees. Not only does this “zoom” get physically bigger, it also increases time exponentially, first by thirty years, then fifty, then one hundred. It’s a really effective mechanism, allowing readers to empathize with one person before reminding us that the entire world is going up in flames. I remember reading a piece of writing advice that advised writers not to take on big issues head on, but to find the smallest part of them and work that for effect. The example given was that the image of a child’s burnt socks stuck to a road is more powerful than the image of a massive battle. Liam and his trees are a nice example of this. My favorite line in this story is when you describe the sun as the trees’ “vengeful mother.” Without the sun, trees would not grow, and without this particular sun-related disaster, these specific trees would never have been created or planted, but in the end, the sun is what destroys them. (Although, it could be argued that the sun itself – or herself – did nothing, and that the disaster was instead caused by the earth’s inexplicable trajectory change). I also appreciate that the story ends with the destruction of the supposed heatproof trees. These maple trees start out as a manifestation of hope in changing times, and stay with the reader as everything else changes, but in the end, they aren’t safe either. In “zoomed out” sections, the reader numbly experiences the end times, reading matter-of-factly about how humanity destroys itself by refusing to work together, instead fighting amongst themselves while the richest of the rich escape the planet, leaving everyone else to their fate. But, the real emotional tug comes when the story “zooms” back in on the trees, and we watch them burn, the destruction of the last piece of hope. Overall, excellent job. I would comment on some of your other works, but either I’m completely incompetent, or this is the only one on which I have that ability. Looking forward to whatever’s next!