Found Family

February 27, 2099

I leave tomorrow. They figure it’s just getting warm enough now that I may not freeze too bad, but may be able to find an island with resources that haven’t been touched. Plants, animals, fish, maybe. Anything I find could be the difference between life and death.

Why did they choose me, you ask? I wondered the same thing until I realized that there’s no one else left. No one strong enough, at least. The Anderson’s, twin boys that were two years ahead of me in school, are too sick to go. Jimmy has some awful condition that makes his muscles deteriorate, something about chronic hunger. Jared - he’s malnourished, and grieving his slowly dying brother, while we all starve and grieve a world we used to know. I do wish that I had someone to come with me, but the the young men in town are in similar condition to the Anderson’s, be it the hunger or the grief or the fear or the sickness. Something is coming for everyone. I fear that I am next.

February 28, 2099

I have just gotten out of sight of land, of my land. The only land I’ve ever known. I’ve been on a plane once, before The Famine and subsequent events occurred, but it was only to a different state, and even then, the ocean was a foreign beast to me. I enjoyed touching it, using its water to build sandcastles, collecting its pretty gifts in the form of shells. I would wade, but never dive.. That was more of a Sissy thing, when we would get to go with Ma and Pa on a rare summery day they were both off.

The first time I had ever been on a boat was during The Famine, when I first came here. That was before the fall of all of our resources, when phone servers still worked and life still felt somewhat normal. It was just the lack food on the shelves, then the lack of restaurants, and then... nothing. of It’s crazy how quickly things can change. 

The island I am going to is unnamed, or at least, was so insignificant that no maps from before bothered to label it on the map. Hopefully that works in our favor, and we will find juicy seafood, tender meat, dry wood, and maybe some magical, cure-all herbs. Or even just some plants, would be nice. Anything alive. 

Maybe by the time I get back, they will be closer to understanding what happened to the North continent, how far it has spread now, where it will spread its deadly wings next. Even understanding, though, doesn’t fix it, does it? 

March 2, 2099

I didn’t write yesterday. My hands were so frozen and I did not dare take my gloves off. I tried to hold the pen, but could not feel it in my hands or the pages in my book. I hope that I am still in the trajectory of the island - there were very strong winds yesterday, bitter and frozen, that shifted us slightly. I have no way of knowing for sure if I will still encounter the island, and shifting in the opposite direction could very well cause me to skim it on the other side. I guess we wait and see…. Will anybody ever read this, or will it lay on the ocean floor until the oceans finally subside?

March 5, 2099

I can see it. Perhaps the end is not near. Perhaps this is only the beginning. 

There is smoke from the island. Life. Fire?

March 7, 2099

This is a different….place. They are not only untouched by the Famine, they are…. So far Ahead. We have never had these things. I don’t think anyone ever thought we would have these things. 

I must return home to Sissy, Ma, and Pa. They were just a day from starvation when I left…I hope that they will be there when I return with the riches from this town. These riches will save our town, perhaps the whole North Continent. They even said I could take some to ship there, if I want, and that I could come back for more.

Everything is so nice here. Now I just need to bring it back to the rest of the world.

March 11, 2099

I don’t think they really love the idea of me going back to the Shelter, or the North Continent. I overheard the director-of-sorts in the Tech Room yesterday afternoon, discussing the ‘value of privacy’ and the ‘fall of the island as they know it’. I am not sure if I should grab and go, or if I should negotiate. I just know that it’s nice here.

March 15, 2099

My family expects my return today. They do not know that I will not come.

March 20, 2099

I am enjoying my life here. I was hesitant at first when I realized the implication of the overheard conversation…staying here? Abandoning my family, my town, perhaps the whole world? But the more I listened to the Director explain the reason these resources are so plentiful and that any breach could ruin the last thriving place on the planet… He assured me that we will grow, will build our resources and expand, taking in more and more, starting with my family. I trust him.

I will stay. If I go back, my family could already be… it could already be too late, and I would have no way to get back here. No money, no resources. It would soil the secrecy of the island and I’d surely be followed. The Director is a nice guy, but I don’t think he’d favor me after that. Maybe one day, I will sneak out and grab them, and return, unnoticed. And somehow, explain that to the Director.

I have weighed my options. I know I am staying. I cannot decide if I will send a letter home. What do I say? They will think I am dead otherwise. Maybe that is for the best. There is no other way to protect my home, the new Island.

Dearest Ma, Pa, and Sissy-

I have made it to the island. There is life here, but I afraid it is not much better. I have met a kind family, they have allowed me to send this letter to you . You see, my boat is broken, and the resources here are scarce. We are shriveling, you see. I will not make it back. If I do somehow survive, I will see you one day. Not for a while. I hope that -