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They Fell
Bob Gielow
The first to fall were the birches, just as beguiling when horizontal. The world was unconcerned. The willows fell next, weeping. When we lost the baobabs and ginkgoes, arborists sounded the alarm, and humanity shrugged. Rubber trees caught everyone’s attention, mostly because of how commerce was impacted. In short order, mangroves and maples, alders and ashes, figs and firs all fell, too. Our shared sorrow and shame did not bring them back.
Bob Gielow writes fiction, often using non-traditional formats, that he wishes were real. A college administrator by day, Bob (he/him) spins tales in formats we all use when communicating with each other: text messages, diary entries, and fictional Wikipedia posts all allow him to be clinical and thorough in describing his characters, their thinking and actions … without diminishing his ability to explore the resulting human emotions. Bob has over 40 short stories published in numerous online and print publications. Find me on Threads at “gielowbob” and Blue Sky at “bobgielow.bsky.social.”