I've already handed it in, but I wanted to see how you liked it.
All reviews/critiques are greatly appreciated!
(It's very tacky I know, but it's a school contest and what else can I do? )
*I had this in Non-fiction before (I don't know why) and it made more sense to put this in this category, so I moved it*
Reflections Story “I Can Make A Difference By…”
By: Onceuponatim3xo
It was an average summer’s day; the skies were clear and sunny, the grass richly green, and the wind blowing breezily. Although, it actually wasn’t very average at all. Something was being planned for this day, something spectacular. But, young Greta Blake did not suspect anything.
She was at school and it was one of her last days until the summer break. Anticipation for the break was building up inside of her and made it hard to concentrate on math. Her head sank further and further into her hand as the time wore on. The bell rang after what seemed like forever and she left to her next, and last class of the day, science.
Her teacher lectured on the importance of keeping the environment clean and safe, but Greta was in her own world, fantasizing what her summer would bring. “And what will you do this summer for the environment, Greta?” Ms. Ackerly, the teacher, asked - snapping her out of her reverie.
“Ummm… I don’t know.” She replied. Who even cares about the environment anyway? She thought.
“Then please pay attention, Miss Blake.” Ms. Ackerly said. Greta did as the teacher told her, but soon lost interest, and was lost in her thoughts of the summer again. The bell rang just as the teacher was about to ask for Greta’s attention once more, and Greta ran out of the classroom to catch up with her friends. Unfortunately, her friends were not at the usual meeting place, so she decided to walk home by herself.
The sun was beating down her neck, and the air was hot and sticky as usual in the summer. Thankfully, there was a sudden gust of wind that cooled the air around her. But, this wind was no ordinary wind, it grew increasingly powerful and sprayed dirt and debris into her eyes. She quickly reached for her eyes in pain and tried her best to get the dirt out. While she was doing so, a man walked toward her. As her eyes cleared, she saw the man and continued to walk, quickening her pace. Paranoia built up inside of her, and as she looked back, she noticed that he was clearly following her. She sped up into a jog, but noticed that he was still following her. She started to run, but he was suddenly right ahead of her. He asked very calmly “Greta Blake, I presume?”
“Wh-who are you?” She stuttered.
“I am the Wind’s Messenger.” He replied.
She stifled a giggle then said, “okay, sure, bye.” She tried to go around him, but he blocked her path.
“Greta, you have been chosen to experience one of the most magnificent of events.” ‘The Wind’s Messenger’ started. “You have been chosen out of many to see what lies ahead of you. The future is not of the certain grandeur you believe it to be.”
“What do you mean?” She asked. She knew that she shouldn’t have been giving into his antics, but she was very curious.
“I mean that the world is not such a wonderful place in your future.” ‘The Messenger’ replied. “Which is why I must show you what is in store.”
“What? What do you mean -” Greta started, but was interrupted when ‘The Messenger’ put his hand on her shoulder and the wind around them started to blow strongly. Suddenly, Greta’s feet left the ground, and she hovered above the sidewalk. Then she rose - higher and higher, the wind swirling around them as if they were in the funnel of a tornado. Then they sank, slowly coming back toward the ground, Greta attempting to pry the stranger’s hand from her shoulder all the while. When they landed, Greta noticed that her surroundings were much different than before. She was not in her hometown. “What did you do!? What did you do, you lunatic!?”
The man spoke calmly, as before. “Look around, you are still home. The only difference is thirty-five years.”
“What!?” Greta exclaimed hysterically, and as she frantically looked around, she noticed her school, then she noticed the City Hall across the street. Both were worn with age, never maintained; not to mention the rest of the town. And then she noticed the extremely hazy sky - thick smog. And also, the absence of grass, replaced with a dusty type of soil. “I- I am home.” She managed to say in a whisper, then her voice rose with confidence. “I am home, but why does everything look so different? What’s going on?”
“I told you, Greta, that you would experience an amazing event, so here you are thirty-five years into the future. You are here to see the changes that have taken place in the time that has passed.” ‘The Messenger’ replied. “The elements have chosen me, a human, to lead you. I was given the power of wind, which has boundaries past the air, and allows me to travel in time. The Earth, Fire, Water, and Air elements are infuriated with the past, present, and future. Humans have mistreated the environment so badly that they must take action in order for the people to learn to care for their world. The people must learn, which is why I am here to teach you so that you can teach others.”
Greta stared at the man, feeling the urge to believe what he said and do what was asked of her by the elements. She knew that what the man was speaking of was insanity, but decided to give him a chance, and learn. “What are you going to teach me?”
“Rather than teach, I will show you the horrible changes, and you will learn by seeing them.” ‘The Messenger’ replied. “Do you see the sky? It is gray and hazy because of Smog. Smog is made up of Ozone, which can be good up high in the atmosphere, but very hazardous when it is near the ground. Ozone is formed from pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, chemical plants, and many other sources. Ozone can cause many lung problems if breathed. People can stop smog from getting this terrible by driving less, carpooling, and tightly sealing the lids of chemical products to prevent evaporation.”
“Do you see the dirt? There is no longer grass because of desertification. When all of the vegetation is extinct it causes the land to become a desert. When vegetation becomes extinct it is called deforestation. Deforestation is also when all of the trees are cut down in an area - notice there are no trees around us - since the people cut down all of the trees and harvested them several times, the land is not able to recover from the damage and becomes a desert. To prevent deforestation you should use wood and paper sparingly and plant trees. There is more to show you, follow me.”
They walked to an old run-down house and Greta recognized it as her home from back in the past. They went through the front door, and in the living room Greta saw someone very familiar. When she got a better look, she realized that it was herself, thirty-five years older. She was not very old, but she looked to be one-hundred years old! Her face was care-worn and pale as a ghost. Her future self started coughing horribly, then she wheezed and clutched her heart. This went on for several moments, then passed. Greta went to help her future self, but ‘The Messenger’ held her back. “There is no use doing anything. No one can see or hear us, and besides the only way to save yourself is to take action in the past.” Greta stared at her future self’s appearance in horror.
There was another person in the room speaking to her, she seemed to be a nurse. “I am so sorry, Miss Blake, that you have to go through this.” The person said. “You and many others have it, if only we could find a cure or something to get you healthy again. All that we can do though, is try to help you understand what has happened to you.”
“What’s going on?” The Greta from the past asked.
“When the Smog levels are as high as they are here, people have the risk of getting a respiratory disease. People can get this disease if they go outside and exert themselves in areas with high smog levels. When they exercise or exert themselves, they breathe harder and faster, and take in a lot more Ozone into their lungs. The Ozone can, as I have said before, cause many lung problems - which is what has happened to you in the future.” ‘The Messenger’ replied. “Let’s go, I have more to show you.”
They left the house and walked to the nearby lake. When they came to it, Greta saw that it had flooded and taken the place of many past residential areas. “This lake flooded because of Global Warming.” ‘The Messenger’ said. “Global Warming is when greenhouse gasses - gasses that reflect heat back to the Earth’s Surface, such as Carbon Dioxide, are in the air and increase and warm the Earth. Greenhouse gasses are caused by the heating of Fossil Fuels, which is another reason why the world must find a new resource of energy. Because of the greenhouse gasses the world is getting drier in dry areas and wetter in wet areas. The energy that is being reflected to Earth is causing the environmental cycles to amplify climatic conditions, making bodies of water flood here, and the desert elsewhere. You can prevent this from happening by using ‘green’ energy, such as solar power and wind energy. Also, you can unplug televisions, change your light bulbs to fluorescent ones, and seal up your house to reduce energy use. Energy is made by the burning of Fossil Fuels, which causes greenhouse gasses and Global Warming.”
“Wow! I can’t believe that all of this will happen in the future!” Greta exclaimed. “It’s horrible!”
“If you keep yourself and others informed on these serious situations, and do something about them, I can promise you that your future will be bright!” ‘The Messenger’ said. “You have learned what you needed to learn, now I’ll take you home.” He put his hand on her shoulder once more, then they lifted up, and the wind around them swirled about. Then, suddenly, they landed. Greta gathered herself, then turned around to thank the stranger that had shown her so much, but he was gone. Greta thought back, and knew the answer to her science teacher, Ms. Ackerly’s, environment question.
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I hope it was okay and I hope you liked it.
