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P R O L O G U E

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MY MOTHER CLAIMS that her grandmother could remember a time when the earth wasn't a scorching desert and a complete wasteland. It apparently used to have amazing oceans and millions of beautiful acres of nature. Now, however, where the ocean used to be sits a never ending desert wasteland scattered with endless amounts of garbage and useless treasures.

I remember asking how it happened, how did the earth turn into this? How could it have went from something so beautiful to something so deadly and hideous.

She says that it was due to our careless ancestors. The ones who came before us didn't care about the ocean and didn't do enough to preserve it. It started out as all things do: a small spark that becomes a huge flame. One person throws their plastic water bottle onto the beach, not thinking of the horrible effects it would eventually lead to. A drunk person on the beach threw their beer bottle onto the sand. Another person tossed their trash onto the beach or in the ocean. For every one person that did one thing, thousands followed in their footsteps. Oil spills became more common. Ocean garbage dumping got even worse.

Marine life started dying at a tremendous rate, and only a few people tried to do anything about it. The news didn't care enough to put it as breaking news, and instead used the time to tell the story of another murder or car wreck. Nobody cared about the murdering of the innocent marine life. Nobody cared about the murdering of the ocean.

After so much pollution and all marine life basically going extinct, the ocean slowly started to essentially evaporate due to all the chemicals and other garbage going into it. Then, there was nothing but a barren wasteland—exactly how it is today. Along with the oceans went many of the forests and most of the animals that lived within it.

It's hard to find water, and the only source my family has ever known of is a few miles down the road. A well in the center of the small community we are fortunate enough to live in. Each time I drink it, I feel grateful that I actually have water to drink. Some are not so fortunate.

The food we eat is now dried out into a powder substance to fulfill all our necessary nutrient needs and packaged by the government. The food is rationed so strictly that they can only give out the amount that's vital to our health. We do, however, occasionally run into a treat such as bread on Market Day.

I wish it could be different than this. I wish things could be like they used to. I wish our ancestors could have foreseen what would happen after they passed away. Maybe they would've cared enough then. Maybe if they would've cared enough in the first place, none of us would have to live like this.

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