Unintended Consequences

Debates raged as the world warmed. It was natural climate variation. It was man-made. The sun was warming. Hands were wrung, protests organised. Solutions were attempted, yet to no avail. Still the world got warmer. As the droughts worsened, creatures died. As even men perished, the wars began. What started as a warming became a burning. The world melted into slag. There were no survivors.

“MUMMY! MUMMY!!” Lucy’s mother rushed to the girl’s side, shaking her head. “I told you about playing too near the fire.”

“I want my marble back! It’s burned…” Lucy wept for her lost world.