Doomsday

Doomsday For A Tree

It stood there, its branches bare. It looked so lonely, darkly silhouetted against the fresh snow. Alyssa remembered how beautiful it was in the summer, when its limbs were heavy with leaves, and people gathered around its trunk to be in the shade it provided. She wondered if she would ever again stand beneath the great maple.

The sound of bulldozers made Alyssa look up, startled. She breathed a sigh of relief. They had not come for her tree yet. Yet! They would come, they could not be stopped. She sighed again, and put her arms as far around the tree’s trunk as they would reach. Its bark was rough against her cheek.

The view was bleak. What had once been a lush, flourishing forest was a wasteland of dirty snow, churned-up mud, and buzzing machines. A sign on the edge of the wasteland spoke of a new complex to be built. “Affordable housing in a beautiful area!” It proclaimed. Affordable? What about the cost to the forest? Alyssa wished time could be turned back and the beautiful forest could be restored.

Staring out between the remaining trees, Alyssa felt a sudden surge of anger. No one had asked the people who lived in this area if they wanted the forest cut down! No one had thought that maybe a patch of forest could be more valuable than a huge ugly complex. Well, she was going to make them think. In fact, if she had anything to do about it, the complex wouldn’t be built at all.

Alyssa felt a little surprised at herself. She didn’t normally take action like that, but she felt herself turn directly for home, and her feet pounded the pavement in her eagerness to get started. There wasn’t much time to lose if the forest was to be saved. If her tree was to be saved. But when she walked through the door and sat down by the phone, the enormity of the task suddenly fell on her like a great weight. How could she possibly stop something that big from happening! She was just a kid. Who would listen to her? And yet she felt the need to stop the trees from being cut down. So she squared her shoulders, and began the search.

Several hours later, having lost track of how many numbers she had called and how many times she had been re-directed, Alyssa finally reached a person she could talk to. This one had to be the right person. “Hello?” came the voice on the other end.

“Hello, my name is Alyssa, and I’m lobbying to stop the building of the complex in Woodnook. Am I speaking to the right person?”

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Ranok is not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the tone, and he will get back to you as soon as possible.”

Alyssa sighed. She dramatically clicked the “end call” button on her phone. Two hours of work and all she had was a list of who not to talk to. Then she had an idea. She flung on her coat and shoes and ran outside.

The next day was Saturday. Perfect. Alyssa could spend all day on her project. She peeked out the window, and giggled. Everything seemed to be working out really well. Representatives from all the major news stations had appeared, on the hint that there would be a news conference being held there at noon. So far, only one station had failed to turn up. Alyssa was going to hold the conference. Her parents were still asleep, or reading in bed. Either way, they wouldn’t mind if Alyssa went out for a while. She closed the door softly behind her.

When she walked onto the development lot, one of the reporters asked her where the news conference was, he couldn’t see anyone. Alyssa just smiled and climbed up onto a bulldozer. She gave her carefully prepared speech, several lenses glinting darkly at her. A twinge of nervousness ran through her. She was just a kid. It was all too big for her – too much. But she faced the cameras and spoke passionately about this patch of forest. She told them about the fun she had had as a young child, about the classes that used this area as a nature classroom, about the benefits of trees. She spoke of the many people who ran here, of the old people she saw sitting among the trees. Of the dogs that ran safely free here, and the beauty of some peace in the city. It sounded moving to her.

She went home and promptly fell asleep. She hadn’t known how emotionally draining giving a news conference could be. She taped herself giving the speech.

The mayor showed up at her house on Monday. Alyssa had pled sick with her parents and stayed home from school. She didn’t want to have to put up with her classmates’ comments, even if they were good. The mayor came, and cited all sorts of rules and laws that allowed the building of the development. “You don’t have a leg to stand on, young lady.” He told her, “There are no laws that work in your favour. I’m asking you to back off”. Alyssa was perplexed. “This isn’t a matter of what the law is and what it isn't. It’s a matter of right and wrong. And it’s wrong to tear down that forest.”

The mayor sighed. “Look, I’m just asking you to tone it down, okay? There’s nothing that can be done in this situation. The law is the law, and the developers are protected by that fact.” She went away in her big fancy car, and Alyssa watched as it pulled down the driveway and sped down the street. Was there really nothing she could do? She didn’t really believe that. But she felt in her gut that she would have to.

A week later saw Alyssa standing, hugging her tree, and a bulldozer trying to dig it up. She only gripped the bark harder when she saw the big yellow machine approach. The driver came closer, closer. Then the engines died, and an angry-looking man climbed down and came towards her. “Move, kid. I’ve got orders to dig up that tree.” “I know” Alyssa said. “That’s why I’m standing here”. He seemed confused. “Look, I’ll… I’ll have to call someone if you keep standing there!” “Go right ahead” was Alyssa’s calm reply.

The police arrived a few minutes later, but not before the news cameras arrived again. Good. This was at least getting publicity. Maybe Alyssa could still avert doomsday. But when the police arrived, they pried her forcibly from her tree, and stuffed her in the back of their car. The bulldozer’s engines started up again, with the news crews watching with interest. One came over and tried to interview her, but the police held them back, something about protecting the rights of minors. Baloney.

Alyssa watched in agony as the bulldozer plowed right through her tree. That huge, beautiful maple. Even in death it was elegant, falling slowly, and crashing magnificently. Doomsday could not be averted. Alyssa looked down at the floor, feeling empty and hopeless. All her efforts. All for nothing. It had all been in vain. Destruction would continue, here and elsewhere, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

After an eternity of emptiness, her parents came and walked back home with her. They were asking her confused questions, and Alyssa heard herself answer. When they got home, all she wanted to do was lie down and cry. Instead she had to eat supper, and do homework, and explain some more to her parents.

They were watching the news together as a family – well, her parents were watching the news and Alyssa was starting despondently out the window – when something made Alyssa look up. She watched the flickering screen, and felt a jolt of energy run through her body. “…residents have shown no signs of assent or dissent as of yet. The re-zoning of this area for further development is expected to run up against a fair bit of resistance, but the area is ideal and the developers are determined.”

Alyssa knew what her next task was. But this time she would be getting some help and legal support. “Mom? Dad? I have an idea for a vacation…”

I know this isn't exactly about the apocalypse, but I tried to work in the doomsday theme.

Teresa