2153 (by Lisa Mansfield)

The final story builds on this speculative future. In an iced-over desert in Australia a lone figure walks, contemplating their immediate present, impermanence and loss. Thundereggs, formed over millions of years, and the feathers of a yellow-tailed black cockatoo draw a connection between deep time and the fragility of life. The changes we have imposed on the delicate balance of nature will be impacting the world for centuries, perhaps millenia, to come. Our self-interested actions are not what they seem. What we wish for might be self-soothing illusions. What kind of world do we—do you— want to live in? What will we tell our future selves? As the earth hums, rebuilding itself, what will be left behind?

Excerpt of audio from 2153 narrative