A Time When You Can Only Regret

This is my first story to be published. I'm a rookie writer and my English is not so good. English is not my native language. So sorry for the grammar mistakes. This is a story I wrote for a competition like two or three years ago. Hope you'll enjoy it

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With a sad look, she sat back on her chair. Then with a sigh, she observed through the telescope again.

Sophie still remembers the day when her mother gifted her a telescope for the first time. She was amazed to see the world beyond the far stretched blue sky. She spotted the Moon, Venus, Mars, Constellations and more.

She was thrilled to see the craters on moon. The red planet surprised her even more, and dreamt of walking on the Martian surface one day.

But she never had the slightest idea that she'd have to live her entire life on the red cold barren surface.

There was a time when she used to see and study other planets through a telescope. But now, her fate is to study her home planet.....no, the better phrase might be once-a-home planet, sitting on a different one.

Earth, which was once a beautiful planet with rivers, mountains, forests, grasslands and seas only exists in people's past memories and dreams.

Now, it can be defined as a dark brown planet, with poisoned rivers, seas, air.....a cold barren planet, where even sunlight can't enter.

Sophie stood up and left her lab. She layed on her bed. She wasn't sleepy, nor tired. She was just......sad.

She closed her eyes, hoping to get some rest. But her mind was busy and restless.

She remembered a discovery made by scientists years ago, when they found that life would end on earth in 2.8 billion years. But life ended earlier, much, much earlier.

Now nothing thrives on earth. There was a time when only scientists and astronauts went to other planets in search of a possibility of life. But now, only scientists and Astronauts go to earth to find a possibility of life, to find a possibility to get a life back there.

She remembered the rallies and protests held, when she used to live on earth. It was demanding actions on solutions for climate change.

But like most people, she never cared....until....things changed for the worse.

Climate change affected their lives, everything became out of control. Living on earth became more of a nightmare.

Pollution was too much

Natural calamities became a routine

Earthquakes, Taunamis, Cyclones, Volcanic eruptions, Floods, Draughts, Rising temperature........

Pandemics started spreading everywhere, diseases thought to be extinct came back, with a set of new ones.....

People started dying here and there. They felt as if the world was coming to an end.

Half the population died there itself. The rest where left with no other choice but leave the planet.

Colonies were established on Mars and Moon with the goal of tourism. But now, people started living there permanently.

It has been ten years since the incident, but Sophie felt as if it happened yesterday.

'Those who died back there was lucky. Atleast they breathed their last on earth' she thought 'My last wish, would be to die on earth, burry my body in my home planet. But it will remain a never fulfilled one.'

She couldn't help but think about the children. Her life is coming to an end. But the children, their life just began, and it became a hell. Some didn't even have the chance to be born on earth. They can only know about the planet through the stories and descriptions of the elders.

Sophie could still feel those slogans ringing in her ears

"Why spoil our future?"

"There is no planet B"

"Protect the earth, for the children, for the coming generation"

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall any minute. She couldn't sleep, she felt guilty.....for spoiling the future of children, for destroying earth, for millions of deaths.....for everything that happened.

Every human alive regretted like her. She glanced at the window, to the empty Martian sky. Oh how she missed seeing the bright beautiful moon from earth.

She wish she could go back in time, do everything to save earth, her once a home planet. But no, it's not possible. She had the chance, but she never took action.

Tears leaked through her eyes, as she murmered

"I'm sorry everyone"

The only thing she can do now is regret.

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So, if anyone read this, I hope you liked it. It's not the best story. (I guess it's called a climate fiction (cli-fi) or something). Though the topic is of growing concern. I wrote it as I myself am concerned for my future. I wrote this one for a competition. Though this is the first story I published, it's not the first one I wrote. It's the first one I had the courage to publish. I hope everyone enjoyed it, and thanks for reading my story. Again sorry for any grammar mistakes.