The True Beauty of Nature

Chapter 1 - Times have changed. New laws, New rules.

Times have changed. It was the year 3625AD, but not much that has happened could be described as good. The world only got worse and worse over time. People failed to deal with Global Warming back in 2034, the point of no return. Ever since then, the world has become disgusting. The Carbon Dioxide levels have rapidly increased and caused a massive tenebrific cloud to cover the surface of Earth. At first, most people thought it was going to last for 5 to 9 days (just like The Great Smog of London, back in 1952), but days turned into months and, eventually, into years. Everyone gave up. Their hope was all but gone – it was bleak to say the least.

A foggy and gloomy atmosphere blocked out the sun and painted everything in dark grey colours. It seemed like all the happiness and joy had been drained from Earth, along with the bright colours and many animals that were unable to survive in such dreadful climate conditions. It may all sound far-fetched but, unfortunately, it was true. Laws have changed. The murky cloud caused a drastic change for everyone and everything. Food became a crucial problem. Vegetables and fruits would no longer grow without the sun and could only be produced in superior factories, using all sorts of lamps and heaters. Farm animals were also vital and so people were doing everything they could to protect them from extinction. However, although people managed to produce food, nobody was really sure if that would be enough to feed 50.5 billion people. This is why some new rules had to come out.

Rule 1: People will only get a certain amount of food. Stores and shops will close down. Anyone who sells food or takes more than they get will be punished.

This rule was created to prevent wasting food and to make sure that all people have at least something to eat, meaning food is shared equally amongst all the people in the city by the government. (Different countries may have different rules).

Rule 2: People must stay indoors past midnight and only come back out at 8am in the morning.

This is to limit the time spent outside. The pollution in the air may cause various illnesses.

Rule 3: There are three zones. Passport required.

There are three zones (called -1, 0, and +1), each containing thousands of houses and rooms for people to live in. In simple words, +1 means ‘Above ground level’, 0 means ‘ground level’ and -1 means ‘below ground level’. These underground cities have huge ventilation systems for fresh air, making them less polluted. That’s why most elders and young children are moved to Zone -1. It is the safest zone. Zone +1 are skyscrapers. Skyscrapers are mostly used to store food and medicine, but some were used to keep prisoners and criminals in something also known as ‘sky-prison’. Although the atmosphere was dusky and miserable, the skyscrapers still looked outstanding. Like silver trees of geometry, they were reaching into the dark void above. Lastly, Zone 0 was the ‘normal’ zone. Not above the ground. Not below it either. However, it was the most dangerous zone to live in. This zone lacked police officers and people living in zone 0 took advantage of that. People started committing more crimes; 95% of them would never get caught, and that is why it is crucial to have your passport with you when crossing zones. At times like this, you can’t trust anyone.

So, these were some of the ‘new’ rules that came out. It may all sound confusing and unclear at first but people got used to them.

The crime in Zone 0 has risen each month. The police were completely outnumbered and could not help anyone. Most of the police gave up and moved to a different zone (a zone that would somewhat be easier to patrol). Zone 0 was a mess. People hardly followed rules and laws and soon, Zone 0 became a place where only the strongest survive and the weak are left to perish…

Chapter 2 - Ace Silas

Silence drifted through the littered streets. The floor was grey and dirty; it had all sorts of rubbish lying around. From crunched-up bottles to murky tin cans and from chip packets to gum. Some of the litter seems like it has been there for numerous years or maybe even centuries.

‘Thud.’

That was the sound of sharp rapid footsteps interrupting the silence. It was Ace. Ace Silas was a 16-year-old boy who lived in zone 0. He had short brown hair and was dressed in old rags. Rags were the only things people wore round here these days. There were simply not enough products to produce clothing anymore. Clothing (along with some other products and certain types of food) was in deficit.

‘Thud.’

The loud footsteps were coming from Ace once again. He was running from someone, and that ‘someone’ was not alone. Ace started running out of breath as he felt his legs become weaker and less stable. He decided to maneuver around the houses to get rid of the people that were hunting him down. He took many different twists and turns and ended up in a dead end. ‘This can’t be happening…’ Ace thought to himself. He looked around for ways to get out but it was too late. The voices behind him caught up.

‘Over here!’ One of them called out, and soon, all of them were lined up horizontally in front of him.

**********

Ace opened his eyes to find himself staring into an ocean of obsidian above. The coldness reached into his bones and Ace shivered. It was night-time. ‘No wonder there is a rule to be back home by midnight, someone could freeze to death out here!’ Ace thought to himself again. Due to pollution, the sun was blocked out and darkness wandered the streets, both at day and night. The only way to tell the time was by observing the temperature or simply just buying yourself a clock. Ace sat up. His body was in pain and he had blood stains on his grey shirt. He sighed and looked around the alley. The alleyway was filled with rubbish and containers. The smell was awful. Ace glanced over to a nearby broken, wooden fence. He reached out to hold on to it, and shortly, he was up on his feet again. Then, he slowly placed his hand on a spray-painted wall for support and began making his journey home. Whilst slowly limping, Ace recalled everything that happened to him. He was beaten by the five guys that were chasing him. Two of them were only there to restrain him from struggling, one of them searched his pockets and took all the loot they could find. The fourth one didn’t do much, he was too busy filming and laughing, whilst the very last thug reared his arm back and struck Ace in the face, knocking him out cold. No wonder Ace woke up with blood stains all over his clothes. He was lucky enough to be alive after being left lying on the streets.

Ace let out whimpers of pain in each breath. He was not a fighter. He was weak and unable to defend himself, and that made him an easy target for others.

’Pathetic,’ Ace whispered. ‘I’m absolutely pathe-’ and before he could finish, a bright-coloured figure whizzed by his head. It was so fast that it made Ace’s brown hair ruffle up. Ace froze. He has never seen such a thing before. ‘What could it possibly be? A car? No, cars can’t fly. Was it perhaps a meteor falling from space? No. The object was bright green.’ Ace was silently debating with himself when he came up with a rather unusual conclusion. It was a bird, but not just a seagull or a crow. It was a rose-ringed parakeet (and those went extinct centuries ago).

The parakeet was stunning. With a lime body, dark green wings and a bright red beak, it majestically flew through the sky and in seconds, it was gone again. Such an amazing sight for such dull eyes to see.

‘But was it really real? Or am hallucinating from the punch in the face that I received earlier?’ Ace wondered. He stood there for a while, trying to take in everything that happened to him today: the unexpected creature and the kind-of-expected beating. It was too much. It was too exhausting… Ace finally went home to attend to his cuts and bruises.

Chapter 3- Home doesn’t feel like home

Ace

Home feels different. It feels weird. It feels empty. Almost as if it didn’t feel like home at all. They say home is where your heart is, but that’s something I haven’t figured out yet. My so-called ‘home’ is a little dirty room in an apartment, with a small bed and a miniature table beside it. On the table stands a lamp with a couple of books that I have found out on the streets. The walls have cracks in them and it makes me feel very unsafe. This isn’t my home. I don’t belong here.

Chapter 4 - The mysterious light

Ace Silas was out on the streets again. There were barely any people outside and the streets felt strangely eerie. It has been a week since Ace saw the parakeet and the memory of it has slowly started to fade away. ‘It was nothing but a hallucination’ thought Ace. ‘A mirage and nothing more’. Suddenly, a bright light shone in the distance, making Ace squint from its brightness. It was the kind of brightness that enchants the eyes to open all the wider and warms the skin. This filled Ace with eagerness to investigate and so he decided to walk towards it.

The light led him to the very edge of the city where meadows of long grey grass were growing. The grass looked dry and lifeless and the bushes across the field looked motionless and dead too. But the light was still shining, and it was coming from behind the bushes. Ace hesitated. He didn’t know what awaited him on the other side. The light obviously appeared recently because it wasn’t there yesterday. Ace took a deep breath and started marching across the field. It took time to brush through the grass but Ace got to the bushes in the end.

He pushed the bushes aside and took a step. Now Ace knew exactly where the light came from. It came from land beyond the bushes. The reflective greens of that landscape glowed brighter in the strengthening light of the sun. That was when Ace took in his first breath of fresh air. So, this was what fresh air was like? It was remarkable compared to the suffocating polluted air that he grew up with. Then out of nowhere, the green parakeet flew by again, chirping and singing. It was diving and soaring in the sky as if demonstrating all the beauty that Ace was missing out on. Ace took a few more steps before stopping again. His hands touched the grass. This grass wasn’t grey or lifeless, it was too perfect; it was so vibrant and bright that it made Ace feel warmth in his heart. He never felt like this before. Ace smiled. He looked up at the bright blue sky and saw white, puffy clouds sailing like boats in the sea. And the birds…they were wonderful! The birds in the sky were music for the eyes, moving in choreographed melody. Ace stood there for a while. He felt so free from everything he was experiencing back in the city. He couldn’t wait to explore this place! He ran back home as fast as he could and took an old camera from under his bed. He wanted to capture the true beauty of nature that he just saw. He started sprinting back to the secretive place, now with a camera and a notebook in his hands. Through the city he ran, all the way to its edge again. Through the grey meadow he leaped, towards the bushes. Finally, he pushed through the bushes again, this time without hesitating. But something wasn’t right. Something was wrong. It vanished. It disappeared. It was gone.

Chapter 5- It’s Gone

Ace

I stood there in disbelief. The new place that I just discovered was nowhere to be seen! It was gone. Was all of this just another hallucination? No! It can’t be. After everything I felt, after everything I saw. Am I going crazy? It gave me so much hope. I finally felt like I was home…like I was safe from all the people and their stupid rules. I felt so betrayed. It only made me wonder if all the bullying and hate I received finally made me insane. No! I refuse to believe that the place I saw just a few minutes ago is gone. I know for sure that I saw it and nothing will change my mind. I will find that place again. I promise, I will go searching through all zones if I have to but I will never let a place like this disappear without a trace. With the realization of how nature is truly important to me, I must do anything to find it, but once I do, I will not let it disappear again.

Write BackJuly 21, 2021