The Flood

Article written by Jay

Year 2 was marked by a flood, the scale of which we have not yet seen repeated. We do not know what caused this flood, only that it was destructive. None of our little group perished in the event, though this can, in part, be explained only by luck. If it had been Jude or Angel to be trapped under the flood water instead of Mina, we would have lost them. If Crystal had not survived the initial crash and made it to our sides, we would not have had someone from a truly aquatic species to aid us in our escape.

Mina: Dramatic start! I like it!

Nico: Gods, I can't stop thinking about how we all thought Mina had drowned and if that had been Angel instead...

Mina: You're not at all shaken by the idea of it being Jude, though? Good to know.

Nico: Sorry, Mina.

Jude: She's fucking with you, Nico.

Mina: Boo, don't ruin my fun :(

Rainfall leading up to the flood was above average, increasing over time. It is hard to estimate just how much rainfall there was, only that instead of it raining every two weeks or so, it began to rain every three to four days. Then, two to three days, eventually ending in a constant downpour that lasted for months. Tensions in the group rose during this period, as all of us besides Crystal are species unused to such weather. Inversely, Crystal became slightly less irritable. We concluded that she required more hydration than she was currently receiving and resolved to accommodate this in the future, once the weather returned to normal.

A layer of water covered the ground after a week of constant rain. It came up to the ankles of the Humans and Crystal. As the water slowly rose, day by day, we began to consider that we may have to relocate our settlement. The makeshift homes we had constructed were not meant to endure these conditions. Debate began, where would we go?

Crystal: Don't remind me of that fucking debate.

Mina: Team trees will outlive you.

Crystal: The fact that I don't want to shoulder your duties as well as mine is what keeps air in your lungs.

Jay: Can you threaten each other elsewhere?

Concern over the health of Ember, who was not even a year old at the time, were also growing. She showed no signs of sickness, however her parents, including myself, did not wish to risk it. Thus, we began looking for higher ground. There are mountains not far from where we had previously settled, and so we embarked on a journey toward them. We found a cave that we believed would be safe from the still rising water.

Only a month later, the water had reached only a foot below the mouth of the cave. To our horror, the forest we had come from was truly flooded. Corpses of animals and various debris floated past as the rain continued to fall. We had no choice but to move farther upwards.

Mina: Skipping over the time I almost drowned, I see.

Jay: If I recounted every single thing that occurred, this article would be far too long.

After a handful of setbacks, we made it far enough up to be truly safe from the rising water. Below us, even the tops of the trees were covered. Questions lingered on every one of our minds. Questions such as, is this something that happens often? Will we have to retreat this far up again? And will we ever be able to make a home for ourselves on this world we are stranded on, or will it be washed away over and over again? Watching the destruction below us, I was struck with a truly terrible dread. How could I even begin to hope to keep my family safe on a world so unknown to us?

Angel: You're doing a great job of keeping us safe, don't worry!

Crystal: Mina and I keep you safe. And Nico, I suppose.

Mina: Hey now. We're badass, we hunt and gather with the best of them. But we wouldn't know what food is safe or not without the nerds. We wouldn't know fucking anything without them.

Crystal: I suppose you have a point.

Jude: Thanks for the defence of the nerds, babe!

Mina: I gotchu, baby! And Jay too, I guess.

Crystal: Reconsidering my decision to stick with you all as we speak.

It took three months of living in the mountains before the water levels lowered enough for us to return to the forest. What was left was nothing short of pure destruction. Everything we had built was gone. More than that, the environment itself had been drastically altered by the flood. Surprisingly, the animal life seemed to return to the forest much quicker than I ever would have thought. Within weeks, things were teeming with life once more. We rebuilt what needed rebuilding, and we prepared for another flood, should this prove to be reoccurring. So far, there hasn't been a second flood like the one we weathered in Year 2, but we will not forget the signs, should it ever repeat itself.

Jude: Hopefully we'll never see another one of those. Living in the mountains was brutal.

Nico: I think that was because we weren't all that adjusted to the planet back then. If we have to go back up there now, I'm pretty sure we'd have an easer time.

Mina: Nico's right. We know what the fuck we're doing now. Mostly.

Angel: I'm just glad this mess didn't happen when Ember was a toddler. That would have been a real nightmare.