Frontlines

It was almost disorientating. As Carmen drove into the town, she kept looking back over her shoulder, double-checking every road sign, triple checking every building she passed. Carmen had never seen so many solar panels.

It was August and almost ten years since she’d last stepped foot in Cedar Grove. It’s easy to lose track of time, to feel a nostalgia to belong somewhere without the desire to return. She’d spent a long time with her nose in the books, grateful just to graduate with a degree.

Camren rolled down the passenger window, letting her dog Eco stick out his nose. The hot air enveloped her and she cranked up the air conditioning. That’s always one thing that doesn’t change.

She stopped on the corner of main. It was eerily quiet. The soft hum of the car’s fan was the only sound she could hear.

This is astounding, she thought. Like I stepped into a dream. 

Even the trees around her seemed different. They were an unusual shade of green, emitting a strange and unfamiliar glow. It was a colour Carmen had never seen before, nothing like the usual green that she knew trees to be. They seemed different, happier somehow. Like this whole time the trees had been keeping a secret.

She rubbed her eyes. Maybe I just need a coffee she thought, glancing across the street.

Carmen parked on the street and stepped out to grab a coffee at the Clay Pigeon. How could it not be the first stop on her trip?

She stepped in and the place was empty. She was disappointed, but not surprised, to see a new face working at the counter.

“Hi,” Carmen said. “Is it alright if he comes in just for a moment?” She asked, motioning towards Eco.

“Yes, of course! What’s his name?” The barista asked, eyes brightening.

“Thank you. This is Eco. It’s too hot to leave him outside today.”

“Oh I know. We’ve adjusted our policy for that very reason. It’s okay if he stays a few minutes, I don’t mind.”

“Does Pat still work here?” Carmen asked, peeking into the bakery case, suddenly craving his old sugar donuts.

“Yes. Well, he still owns the place and he stops in every once and a while but last I heard he was getting ready to retire. I only work a few days a week and I don’t see him too often so I don’t really know for sure. Do you know him? I don’t know if we’ve met.”

Carmen smiled, nostalgia washing over her.

“Yes, I know him. I grew up here. I’m Carmen Ashby.”

“Oh, your name sounds kind of familiar. I’m Yuna. What brings you back?”

“Well.” Carmen felt an anchor stop in her throat. “Things were starting to heat up a bit back home in the city, no pun intended.”

“Oh you’re from the city. I heard about that, I’m so sorry. What can I get for you?”

The cafe was empty. Carmen ordered an iced coffee and a donut and sat by the empty fireplace to quickly check her phone. No new messages. The emptiness of the town was starting to feel strange to her. Where would everyone be on a Sunday?

She glanced over at Yuna who was busy wiping the windows. She seemed completely unconcerned. Maybe there was an event nearby? Carmen wondered. But her mom hadn’t mentioned anything and she knew she was coming.

“Thanks Yuna!” She called out, heading back to her car.

As she drove further up main street, she passed by her high school, pleased to see the cedar trees she planted still standing strong. Even the fountain in the town centre was working again.

While she was nearing her home, her mind was somewhere else. Without thinking, she turned her car around and headed towards the highway. She just wanted to make one quick stop before getting home. And besides, it was only a five minute drive so it wouldn’t take up too much of her time.

Carmen drove up the familiar dirt road, hastily rolling up the windows as the dust began to move into the car. She rounded the corner, greeted by the old familiar spruces and birch trees. Carmen thought of the last time she made this trip with her mom and the orange glow of the forest.

Turning around the corner Carmen slammed on her breaks, barely missing a parked car.

Wait, is that a car?  

There wasn’t just one, there were four of them lined up. They looked like an electric version of a stag beetle, with elongated, angular features, and shiny exoskeletons that reflected the light of the sun. The wheels were big and looked spherical and seemed to barely touch the earth; nothing like the rubber tires she was used to filling with air every two weeks in her beaten up Volkswagen.

Carmen parked the car and put Eco on his leash. She decided to walk the next few metres, weaving between the electric stags as Eco bounded behind her happily.

This must be where everyone is today. 

Walking further, she rounded the corner and gasped. There was no pipeline, as she had anticipated. Instead, she found herself staring at a tall white building, illuminated by a strange glow. She watched as people bustled in and out, pulling loads of fresh greens on long white trailers. The greenhouse was at least two stories high and stretched far down the empty field. A familiar face stepped out with a trailer in tow.

“Finn!” Carmen yelled, running up to greet him.

“Carmen! I haven’t seen you in years! You didn’t tell me you were visiting.”

Dropping the handle of the trailer, he reached out and gave Carmen a hug.

“I know, I didn’t have much time, I had to leave the city pretty quickly. I’m sure you’ve heard all about it on the news. I wasn’t able to complete my dissertation defence, which I have been preparing for for months.”

“Ahh, not quite a doctor yet, hey,” he teased, leaning down to rub Eco’s scruffy head.

“It’s postponed for now but there’s no way I’m letting those last twelve years of my life go down the drain. Anyway, enough about that, what exactly is all this?”

“Doesn’t a small town like Cedar Grove ever make the news in the big city? Come in, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

They stepped through the doors and Carmen was speechless. The greenhouse was stacked with vertical rows, extending thirty feet high.

“Vertical farming,” said Finn. “Remember Bernard farms? They sold their land to a farmer much to the irritation of the bank and this is what happened: intensive vertical green housing and a research farm. It’s really cool. What did you think of the Agri pods outside? They are totally solar powered and can pick up 1200 pounds and carry material for up to 120 kilometres. They have interchangeable bus pods, one to carry the kids to school and another to transport produce or stores. Warren isn’t around anymore, but the whole thing is run by his grandkid Dakota. I don’t think you ever met Dakota, they’re a few years younger than us. Great person. But anyway, it’s August so it’s peak harvest season and most of the community is here to help with the harvest. The whole thing is non-profit. Most of the energy is solar and wind. You help with the crop, you get a cut. Simple. Of course, Dakota got a few extra grants from the government to help with the construction and to score the Agri pods prototypes. But we get fresh veggies year round. It’s a revolution in sustainability.”

Before Finn could continue, George came around the corner and bumped into the two of them.

“Carmen? Is that you?” He said. Wow I didn’t know you were back in town. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No, no!” Finn replied. “I better get back to it. I’ll catch up with you later Carmen!”

“I’ll call you! Let’s get dinner or something.”

Carmen looked at George, who was smiling widely.

“Carmen. I can’t believe it’s you. How long has it been?”

“Well. It’s been a few years, to say the least. How are you?”

“Oh I’m still kicking, how about you? Do you have some time to catch up for a bit?”

“Of course,” Carmen replied.

They decided to take a walk down by the lake and get away from the hustle and bustle of everything. Carmen told George about the heat dome disaster that cut out half the city’s electricity and caused hundreds of job losses. The city basically had to shut down for three weeks. It was unprecedented, nothing like they have ever seen before. She had been preparing for her exams while Jay, her partner, was trying to keep working. They had both grown tired of the city even before the heat knocked everything down.

“I can’t believe how well Cedar Grove has been doing.” Carmen said as they walked. “And even the trees… Everything is so beautiful here. I just don’t know what we’re going to do next. I don’t have a job anymore and I don’t know if we’ll ever get the chance to have a family – at least, not in the city. Everything seems so unstable and I don’t know if I want to bring a kid into that world. But things feel different here. Safer, somehow.”

They walked up to Lost Loon Lake and found an old log to sit on, overlooking the water. They reminisced about the protest and how the success of blocking the pipeline seemed to galvanize the community forwards, and how it all started with Carmen.

“You know, the climate committee still meets every two weeks,” George said. “We have three of the four council members on board, as well as the mayor.”

George couldn’t help but be inspired by seeing Carmen again.

“But we need to get more active in provincial and federal politics,” he went on. “Maybe, Carmen, you could move back here and take up the great work that you started. There are a lot of people here who remember you and would rally behind you. There is a lot of work to do.”

They sit in silence for a while, staring out at the lake.