He was old enough to remember seasons. Warm, sunny days of summer. Cold, dark days of winter. Spring rains. Autumn leaves. March always came in like a lion. But it no longer left like a lamb. The winds and storms had grown stronger and less predictable every year for the past twenty. Dear Leader said any changes in the weather were a hoax, perpetuated by his enemies just to make him look bad. He said it was part of a natural cycle. He never bothered to give any real proof. When it was convenient, he'd say it was God's will. He'd say anything but the truth. The fact of the matter was much simpler. Humans were destroying their own planet. All in the name of profit. --- He had just received notice that his homeowner's insurance policy was being cancelled. Thirty years without a missed payment. Not once had he filed a claim. The reason? His house was old. There were too many trees near it. Most of his neighbors received the same notice. --- The Wi-Fi and the power were no...
He was up early. Thunderstorms woke him throughout the night, and once up he’d never been good at getting a good night’s sleep afterward. The sun was out, peeking through the trees beyond his yard. While sitting on the toilet, he looked out the window and saw them. Little patches of bluish-white flowers. Tiny little things. Very pretty - but he’d never seen them before. There were four or five little clumps of them in his yard. He could see them in his neighbor’s yard too. The rain must’ve given them the push they needed. He didn’t give it any more thought. He ate lunch on the front porch. He noticed the little flowers in his front yard too, as well as the yards of all of his neighbors. The little things popped up faster than dandelions. At three o’clock, he went out to grab the mail. The little flowers were popping up around the post of his mailbox. He noticed they were coming up through the cracks in the pavement on the street and sidewalk. Crazy old Mrs. Hughes was trying to t...