Not with a Bang, but a Whimper

Prologue: History

It started small. The reclaiming of the Earth. No one noticed at first, we all brushed it off as us, killing the planet. We were half right, we weren't counting on the Earth reclaiming itself.

Life is precious, but it also has a mind of its own. No matter how hard you try control it, it does its own thing. I learned that the day the house next door awoke to vines engulfing it, the only sound to be heard was birds chirping, and sounds of new life. That was just the start.

Other buildings were claimed in similar fashion, those who dared chop down the vines and branches were soon, changed, some for the better, others, well they became visual stories. Tales of what happened if you tried stopping life.

Structures built to tame the water were eroded, often after bursting. In retrospect, it shouldn't have been a surprise, vegetation was surging back, making a stand and reclaiming its planet, why shouldn't the water, since it covered so much. Nothing after all can be tamed forever. Oil rigs were destroyed, and with them, any remaining factories, mining had long since ceased after one too many earthquakes sealing mines, or worse, them simply vanishing.

By the time the factories were gone, us who were surviving knew better to complain, why would we anyway? For the first time since the industrial revolution, we were breathing fresh air. The skies were clear at all times, we could see stars that due to pollution had disappeared. That first night the skies were truly clear, I'd never seen so many people admiring the sky.

There was still of course signs of what we had done, the rapid changes had slowed, but were still happening. And, as always, those of us who remained of humanity adapted. We learnt fast, be kind and respectful, and thus you shall be treated the same. Be cruel to the life around you, and well, you may not be who you once were. Or what.

Over time, new changes appeared, incredible changes, animals once thought extinct came back, from places we had no idea of. By that point, time had passed, how much, no one was sure, children no longer knew of technology, cars, or choking smoke. We never noticed the passing of time either, not all of us anyway. For some, it noticed them, much as it always did, for us accepting and embracing the rebirth of the world, Time flowed around us, much as we flowed around it, eager to explore the world set before us.

Home is not a physical location. It exists where you feel it exists, I felt it as I spoke to nature, as I freed a fawn, the first time I gazed in awe upon a cavern overtaken with life. Rock, vegetation and water seamlessly worked together to create a whole new ecosystem. For a while, working with the land, exploring it, gave me a sense of belonging, helping new settlements, well, settle. And, it worked. Any ore that was needed was mined, while the rest returned to the earth. Food was graciously provided, and we paid homage to the provider, of course, it would be rude not to.

We heard tales of other settlements, there were those who were unable to settle, having to move, seeking comfort from travelling, and seeking out human contact wherever they went. Well, human in the loose sense.

The planet was not the only thing changing, humanity was as well, it was only a matter of time. Considering many of us had stopped keeping track of it. The ones who chose to stay upside, that is, on the surface, allowing trees to form houses or communes were slowly turning green, attuning themselves with the very nature they themselves were surrounding themselves with. Some wished to no longer have a roof and stayed under the stars, the only times seeking shelter during the rainy days. Others could disappear into the giant trees that would hollow themselves out, before closing, sustaining themselves on nothing but the sunlight the trees absorbed. They were the ones who became more forest-like, who, as they evolved could seamlessly blend in with the greenery, their fingers became more like sticks, that would splinter if they scratched you.