Parable

After humanity's debt to the planet came due
Our ancestors crawled from the wreckage of their sunken cities
And out of the deserts where once they had grown food enough for millions
Chance brought 30 survivors together, hundreds of miles to the south of here
Worn down by storms and starvation, they set their sights northward
And followed the coast to find a new home

In the first days of their journey, they encountered three storms
And had no protection
The first storm killed four, the second took two
The survivors had warning of the third
For by then, they knew what weather signs to look for

In their haste to find shelter
They unknowingly entered the ruins of the old capitol
The storm trapped them there
And they fell victim to lingering poisons in the air and water
Their minds became clouded
Many were stricken with fever and flux
12 died, the survivors continued northward
And when they came upon more ruins, they kept walking

As they drew closer to the island on which we now dwell
They encountered more survivors fleeing to the north
As the roads grew crowded with desperate refugees
So too they became rife with thievery and killing
And three were lost to bandits on the road
Six others were falsely accused of banditry
And were lynched by other travelers
The survivors kept to themselves after that

Our ancestors were judged for their role in despoiling the Earth
Along with the rest of their generation
Their penalty was decimation
When they arrived on this island
Only three of the original 30 remained