planet wide ecocide

They arrived in canoes, following the migration patterns of birds to discover the Island. Isolated in the pacific as earth is isolated in space they founded their society. With nothing more than stone tools they flourished. The island was rich in timber, fruits and meats. Simple agriculture produced massive surpluses and their population grew. United by a single religion the islands competing tribes tried to outdo each other in paying homage to their ancestral prophets. Stone, quarried from the interior, was sculptured and painstakingly hauled to the coast. Mile long wooden tracks eased this labour of love.

Blinded by the ecstasy of their success they picked up pace and momentum. Soon, in an orgy of destructive creativity, stone statues lined the shores, each new one bigger and bolder than the last. As the humans busily went about their business, consumed in their own sense of self they stripped their utopia of its beauty. Trees, birds and fruits became extinct. Their tropical island looked sparse and soon their previously fertile lands began to blow away. Desert took hold and the humans began to starve. In response they did what they did best. They asked their Gods for assistance, and in their desperation the beautiful tragedy of statue building multiplied. Yet no matter how grand their temples became, their prayers were never answered.

Angry with their failed idols revolution spread throughout the land. Tribal chiefs were ousted and the statues, generations of work, were smashed to the ground in an explosion of betrayal and frustration. Military leaders took command and the people’s culture was forever lost. Man turned against man as resources ran low. Instinct took over, violence escalated and misery mounted.

Their numbers dwindled and a once mighty and proud people, who could never envisage the day their fortune might end, stood broken and shattered. With their civilisation gone, all that remains are those grinning idols who instigated the whole sorry affair.