When the earth decided she had had enough, she did not erupt in furious
volcanoes, nor shatter into ten thousand jagged shards of land — though doing so
would have been satisfying. Instead, she seethed far below the surface so that no
one at fi rst noticed. No one human, that is. The animals of the ground knew. They
were driven to the earth’s surface by the turbulence below — a roiling undetectable
by machines, man’s scientifi c knowledge describing only a limited band of reality,
something that humans, in their blinkered arrogance, failed to see time and again.
From Mumbai to New York the streets were overrun with rats. In the fi elds and
plains of Canada and Australia, it was a pestilence of rabbits. In Africa, swarms of
honey badger and mongoose.
Unlike the sky, which made excuses for man’s behaviour while sending signs of
her displeasure (rising oceans, fi erce storms) in hopes man might notice and change
his ways, the earth had lost faith. She was tired of the multitudes that poisoned her
waters and ravaged her fl esh. She believed the only option was to start anew.
The sky argued against this course, counselling more patience. The earth refused.
“Profl igacy to match profl igacy. And it will be our last warning,” she said.
And so, the earth began to lavish her gifts on man with an extravagance that
knew no bounds. Harvests were so abundant that the combines and threshers and
armadas of itinerant fruit-pickers could not keep up, even as they worked night
and day. Once-depleted oil fi elds burst juicily to life. Minerals and ore streaked the
ground silver and red and gold, and trees and fl owers bloomed on long-denuded
hills, causing talk of miracles even among the unbelievers.
“God’s grace shines upon us!” claimed some.
“A strong economy makes the world great!” crowed others.
Rather than seeing the earth’s sudden bounty — of fi sh, fowl, fruit, grain, newly
unearthed fuel and metal — as an opportunity for renewal, the people interpreted
SO BEAUTIFUL
Guest fiction by Joanne Ramos
Illustration by Ewelina Rynkiewicz