Cedarwood Hollow

Chapter 7. Twenty years ago...

December 28, 2030

Magnus Lindberg, director in the Core department at Vattenfall, ended his workday at the Forsmark nuclear plant in Sweden. He waved goodbye to his colleagues, swiped his badge to exit, and passed through the security gate before heading to his car in the company parking lot.

He lived about 20 minutes away by car in a town with his girlfriend, Elin. They had been together for a few months, and he looked forward to seeing her each day.

This particular weekend was troubling for Magnus. It was his turn to be on-call, and the plant was on high alert due to strong winds and a 'windburst' from Russia. There were fears that the plant could be damaged. Any small alert had to be addressed immediately, and everyone was on edge.

His drive home was usually peaceful, but today was different. The roads toward Stockholm were choked with dense traffic, a river of yellow lights stretching ahead. The sky was a turbulent canvas, with clouds swirling ominously.

In his car, the radio kept repeating the same news. "Authorities advise residents between Stockholm and Söderhamn to evacuate or stay inside their homes. Strong winds from Russia could cause significant damage. Shelters in the..."

Elin's voice trembled over the phone, coming through the car speakers. "Magnus, are we safe? Should we leave?"

Magnus, trying to sound calm, replied, "Pack your bags, Elin. Let's head north to Cedarwood Hollow. It's where I'm from and probably safer there."

"But what about everything here?" Elin's concern was evident.

"We take what matters most. Photo albums, documents. I'll be there very soon."

Magnus had always put his job first, it was a big part of his life. But ever since he met Elin, things had started to change. What used to be really important to him didn't seem as important anymore. Maybe it was love that was making him think differently. Following his heart instead of just his head was new for him, but he felt it was about time for a change.

As he approached a police checkpoint, a policeman clad in a rain suit, illuminated by the flashing blue and red lights, signaled him to slow down. Snowflakes, whipped up by the wind, danced around the beams of the police car's lights.

"Heading home? Remember, stay in a shelter or your basement," the officer shouted over the howl of the wind.

Magnus nodded, "Understood, officer."

When Magnus finally reached home, he discovered a scene of urgency and chaos. Inside, Elin was frantically trying to pack. Bags lay open on the bed, spilling clothes and personal items. A sense of urgency filled the air as they hurried to pack the essentials and a few cherished possessions. The house, usually a haven of calm, was now a whirlwind of activity as they prepared to leave everything behind for the safety of Cedarwood Hollow.

"Let me help," he said, quickly packing essentials. "We need to leave now."

With their car loaded, they set off, leaving their home behind, heading into the uncertain safety of the northern mountains.

Magnus drove past the security gate again, telling the policeman he was heading to Forsmark for shelter. But in reality, he was going north.

The winds were incredibly strong that night, howling around his car. His phone rang : bad news. There were alerts at the plant. He quickly passed the information to a technician and he hoped it wouldn't be worst. Then, he turned off his phone to concentrate on his driving: work was no longer his number one priority.

Elin, sitting nervously beside him, was worried about her parents in Stockholm. "What about my parents? Are they safe?" she asked, her voice tinged with fear.

"Don't worry," Magnus reassured her, "Stockholm is well-prepared for this. They'll be safe."

Magnus had lost his father a while back, and his mother now lived in Stockholm too. He hoped that heading north to the mountains would offer some protection from the wind. The hills, he thought, might break the force of the windburst.

As they drove, they spotted two hitchhikers by the roadside, Laurent and Alba Loiseau, a French couple on a skiing holiday. They seemed carefree and friendly, but a bit lost. "Can you drive us with your car please," Laurent said in broken English, "Our car have no essence left."

Magnus and Elin decided to help them. "We're heading north, away from the worst of the storm. You should come with us," Magnus suggested.

The Loiseaus gratefully climbed into the car. They chatted in their limited English, adding a bit of warmth to the tense atmosphere.

As they continued their journey, the wind grew even fiercer. Trees were uprooted and flung aside by the storm's fury. They passed cars abandoned on the side of the road, a testament to the chaos unleashed by the weather. The journey was turning out to be more treacherous than any of them had imagined.

After eight long hours on the road, Magnus, Elin, and their new French friends finally arrived at Cedarwood Hollow. It was a relief to finally stop driving. In this village made up of some red wooden cabins, Magnus was reunited with an old school friend, Gunvor, who was about his age. Gunvor's dad was there too, welcoming them warmly.

They all celebrated the New Year together. For Magnus, it felt good to leave his work worries behind. Being with family and friends made him realize that work wasn't everything.

They were somewhat oblivious to the extent of the chaos outside until Elin received a text message from her mother. The situation was more complicated than they had thought. The phone lines were down, but text messages were still getting through. Elin's mother was safe but things were tough.

Magnus didn't know where his own mother was, but he learned that Elin's parents were in an underground shelter, sharing a cramped space with 16 other people. The news brought a mix of relief and concern. At least for now, in Cedarwood Hollow, they were safe and together, a small comfort in the midst of uncertainty.

January 2, 2031

On January 2nd, in the middle of the day, a blinding light pierced the cloudy day, followed seconds later by a thunderous noise. It was a nuclear explosion – the Forsmark plant had failed.

Magnus was immediately on alert. He tried to reach his work, but all communications were down. There was no way to get through.

He regretted not staying at Forsmark, where he might have made a difference and saved millions of lives. Or at least he could have tried; things might have turned out differently. Perhaps he could have better coordinated the nuclear plant's defenses and ensured their safety more effectively.

In the days that followed, survivors began to arrive in Cedarwood Hollow. Many of them suffered from serious illnesses due to radiation exposure. Unfortunately, cancers were common. Magnus, feeling a deep sense of responsibility, volunteered with others to help clean up the affected area and bury the bodies of those who had died.

In the years that followed, Magnus and Elin were pleasantly surprised to become parents. They gave birth to a daughter, Alexandra, a symbol of their love and a balm for their wounded hearts. Despite this, he always pushed himself to do more, to try and fix things, to save what he could.

Magnus himself eventually succumbed to a skin disease, a result of his repeated exposure to contaminated areas.

The disaster made it clear that they needed to rethink the way they used energy and give it more thought to prevent such an event from happening again. It was a hard lesson about the importance of using their resources wisely and considering the consequences of their choices.

Thus, January 2nd came to mark their lives, isolating this refugee village until then. It wasn't a natural disaster; even the "windburst" came from climate change. Living in their small community for twenty years, shame led to unspoken truths, which led to ignorance. For this community, only reflection and doing good were sufficient lessons to avoid repeating past mistakes and to remember what they had lost.