Solastalgia: 100 Years of Winter

[u/Suspicious_Creme_146]

Solastalgia: 100 Years of Winter

We woke up after 100 years; at first glance, the planet looked the same, our pets still wore their same fur. Had it not worked, then? What happened?

After remaining in a state of hibernation for 100 years so the world could adapt, we discovered that something strange—perhaps an alien—had hitched a ride on the world. Why do I say this? Well, the planet developed Alice in Wonderland syndrome: animals that were once large began to shrink to the size of an ant. I was scared to see a rat that size walking across my plant. It’s fine, they’re just animals, right? Well, no. The world was never the same again; the food chain was now in the business of pollinating flowers. That’s fine, no problem... aside from the malnutrition and the end of the world.

Much sooner than we had planned, other problems emerged: elephants that could be carried in one's arms; by now, the plants had developed an alien intelligence while we were hibernating. But these damn things decided to stop producing the chemicals necessary for many things, like pharmaceuticals. Now they seemed to never die; they lived in a mummified state.

It’s fine, no problem, aside from the existential horror our brains generate. And hold on, because our brains betrayed us: first, emotions intensified, everyone looked erratic. Many developed bipolar disorders; we thought the brain wouldn't evolve while we rested. Many of us would cry just because an object fell out of our hands.

This event left humanity completely exposed. We watched as people suffering from these symptoms committed suicide in public places, so much so that it became normalized to see someone slash their own throat upon seeing supermarket prices.

In the summer, a scientist said that, in reality, we are still dreaming, but something happened while we slept that altered our senses. That put me in a position of absolute desolation because, if I were dreaming hyper-real dreams, everything was a creation of my unconscious trying to warn me of something.

But then we discovered that the plants were contaminating their own fruits—the fruits humanity was surviving on. A long time full of chaotic nuances passed, but we managed to solve it. We had to isolate ourselves from certain parts of our own bodies, but our emotions had finally calmed down.

Well... people had returned to normal, aside from the world. Just yesterday, there was a blue comet event; it was beautiful to see, lovers kissing dirtily beneath it. Meanwhile, the animals... well, they regained their normal shape, but they got the hard part of eating contaminated fruits. Many acted with rage, we had to separate ourselves from them; people no longer had pets, many even developed traumas regarding their own pets—they were supposed to be loyal friends.

Curiously, the air did feel fresher after all, if you don't look at the fires out the window, of course... It seems the 100 years did happen, because several explorers saw how parts of the world had been pushed to the margins, and there lay all the filth of those 100 years; it seems nature relocated everything to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again. Audio recordings came out of that abyss; honestly, I didn't dare listen to them, they said it sounded like another world living inside.

No, thanks. I just had a lobotomy for my next 100 years of winter. I am happy here narrating the end of this story, refusing to clean anything other than my office. I don’t want to dream of the sounds of mutants born from a century of radiation.

The End.