The Absence of Sound:

Doomsday Diary

Write a short piece of dystopian fiction involving a heart-shaped locket.

The Absence of Sound

The absence of sound, or rather the absence of human sound, is all that's left, or all that I've found. I used to walk in the woods to get away from that sound. To have some alone time, to connect with mother earth. They used to call that "green therapy". Well, that's all there is now, at least in my neck of the woods. Literally, woods, all around, in every direction, that's all that can be seen.

It's like the earth sneezed and replaced everyone with a tree, or plant. Not just a little sapling, but a full-blown giant ass tree. Or maybe overnight, people just walked outside and became vegetation. I don't really know what happened, or why. That's just the way things are now.

One day I was going for a walk in the woods with my dog, then I stubbed my toe on a big ole tree root. When I looked down, there was something shiny sticking out of the dirt. It was a fine silver chain with a perfect heart-shaped locket attached. When I picked it up, it was warm and humming, and perfect. I looped it around my neck, and that was the last bit of normal for me. I must've gone to sleep, fainted, passed out or whatever you want to call it, but I "wasn't in Kansas" anymore.

I miss my family. I miss my dog. I miss my house, or at least having a roof over my head. There are no buildings either. There is evidence of what used to be, in the undergrowth. It's like the earth is regrowing in high speed, but I'm staying the same. I don't know why I didn't change, or if I will.

I used to love walking in the woods looking for the biggest, oldest trees I could find. That was my hobby. Hunting trees to take their picture. Imagining all the wonders that they've seen, all the secrets that they held. My bucket list was to go to an old-growth forest in California and touch a giant redwood tree. For me, that would be like touching God.

There is only one season now. The season of growth. I don't have any food worries, the forest gives me everything I need. Nuts, berries, mushrooms and there is always fresh water when I need it. Mushrooms made me nervous at first, but when the same type of mushroom kept popping up whenever I was hungry, I figured it was okay to eat. Whenever I'm hungry, it's like the earth can tell, and I will come across something to eat. I guess that's one of the pluses of being a vegetarian before this all happened.

I still have my clothes though, at least what I was wearing and carrying in my pack. So the same season thing is a bonus, because it would really suck if things turned cold. I spend my days exploring now, looking for anyone out there. That took some time. Time to decide what to do. My home was gone, taken over by nature. My love, my old life, gone.

I used to be nervous to go away from home. But if I stay still, in one place, I might turn into a tree. Maybe? I don't know, and I don't want to find out. So I keep moving West. Looking for those ancient trees. You would think that by now, I wouldn't care to see another tree. But I guess I'm still hanging on the past, to a sense of normal. To have a purpose. To be doing something. I don't know what I'll do once I get there, but for now, it's enough.

So here I am. Walking. Searching. Wandering in the wilderness.

Happy with the absence of sound.

By DRevell