| Everyville's future was not as bright as it once seemed. The mortgage crisis, the ever-rising price of gasoline, and cheap Indian labor all contributed to the downfall of this flatland town. The settlement trend of the twenty-first century is already becoming apparent: faced with economic hardship and environmental degradation, people return to the urban core, leaving exurbs like Everyville barren of human life. Civilization disappears, making room for other invasive species. The lumps of wilderness, which once helped to build this community, now land the death blow. Wilderness begins its creep across the town. Kudzu, once kept at bay by lawnmowers, spreads quickly, consuming sidewalks, yards, whole houses. Shrubs and trees follow suit, as the lumps continue their slow evolution. The town will not settle quietly into dusty solitude as some Western ghost town, but will be the foundation for a community absent of humans, providing anchors for the roots and vines of a growing wilderness. |
