[Chapter 5] The Last Elder of History

Chapter 5: The Fury of the Gods

This is the next installment of a serialized story about an increasingly probable outcome due to looming climate change. The story and every chapter will be available to subscribers. You can get started with a free 30-day trial below:

Without further ado, here is Chapter 5: The Fury of the Gods

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Night fell heavy and breathless. The strange wind had died away completely, leaving only an unnatural silence broken only by the increasingly agitated birds and the growl of the surf on the outer reef.

Hemi sat alone in his small stilt house with the coconut oil lamp casting flickering shadows that danced like spirits on the woven walls. He refused to join the others huddled fearfully in the fale or making last-minute preparations by the canoe shed. He would meet the storm here, in his own home, on his own terms.

Then it began. It started with the wind, moaning and rattling the thatch. Then it rose quickly to a shriek. Then a deafening roar seemed to vibrate everything with such intensity it vibrated his bones. The flimsy walls of his house shuddered. He could hear the shriek of metal sheets tearing loose from his neighbor's patched foundations. The coconut fronds created sharp snaps as they ripped away. Rain hit the roof as not drops, but a solid wall of water driven horizontally by the wind, finding every crack and crevice.