G IS FOR PRESIDENT AL GORE
The alternate history affecting the story, Ever-Ton, in the IWSG Anthology Parallels: Felix Was Here, was the election of Al Gore for President in the year 2000.
The setting is the year 2050. The world has changed and the inhabitants are leaving.
Ever-Ton
Yolanda RenÉe
Excerpt:
The line seemed to stretch on
forever but moved fast. Several people in wheelchairs, children with
disabilities, and worried parents talked in hushed tones as the line moved
forward. A lovely woman in a wheelchair pointed to the picture of former
President Al Gore on the wall behind the counter. "I wonder if he knows
how many people he saved."
I smiled, and said, "I
believe he does. I really do."
She nodded. "I do,
too."
In the 1970s, scientists had
warned of the dangers of global warming, but nothing happened until the year
2000. President Al Gore couldn't get the legislation passed that would curb the
dangers caused by fossil fuel, but he found the funding for the New World
Aeronautical Organization - NWAO. They began the search for a New Earth.
Terrifying storms, devastating
droughts, and unimaginable diseases took the earth to the levels of an
apocalypse that no one foresaw, not even President Gore. The building of
survival units in the highest mountains became a top priority.
Now, in 2050, the world's
atmosphere had grown toxic. The city of Ever-Ton, meaning Everlasting Mountain,
sat high in the Himalayas. We were the largest and last community of survivors
trying to leave earth.
***
REMEMBER
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PUTS YOUR NAME
IN A HAT FOR THE
10 BOOK
GIVE-A-WAY!
It's interesting how one tweet to history could change things, eh?
ReplyDeleteSo true, Crystal!
DeleteWhat a creative idea for the letter "G!" Ever-Ton is not a place I'd like to visit.
ReplyDeleteJulie
I'd enjoy a visit, but not to stay. LOL Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI loved this little twist to American history in your story. It's wonderful to include real thoughts and feelings with a "what if" scenario. Your tale worked very well!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sylvia, that means a lot!
DeleteYou wrote a fantastic story! I think people will enjoy the characters and the world you created.
ReplyDeleteI hope so Laura, thanks!
DeleteRemember the old Lost Horizon story about Shangri-la, hidden in the Himalayas? I love the blend of that with the futuristic twist. It's amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Trude, appreciate the visit!
DeleteSo this is super cool, Yolanda, and what's even cooler is I have been friends with Hart Johnson for a few years now. What a small world!!! This is an awesome project!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jade, Hart is an amazing writer!
DeleteStrange to think had Al Gore been President perhaps the whole world would have been a different place right now, and I don't mean just the environmental issues. The choices made by voters in the USA have an enormous impact beyond their own borders. This feels like a very timely and topical story Yolanda. Apart from that I love the setting, Himalayas are one of my most favourite places :)
ReplyDeleteHere to catch up on all the posts I missed, and it's already 2nd May where I am!! All the best to all of you for the success of the antho, it sounds just amazing from what I have read so far!
Nilanjana.
Madly-in-Verse