There had been a flurry of fake news in the last two weeks: ‘Namibian burial sites a hoax’ and ‘Four Liars of the Apocalypse’. Now they knew why.
The climate change deniers, the peddlers of so-called ‘progress’ and ‘capitalism at all costs’ were on the march again.
Rayon-Zentel, the multi-national oil-and-gas conglomerate, issued a Press Release.
‘In the last few years we have discovered a vast oilfield under the Arctic ice fields. We are proud to announce that have now developed the requisite technology to drill in this threatening terrain. We will be constructing our first rigs in the next six months.’
That evening, it rained in Namibia for the first time in forty days. At first it was a hesitant shower tickling the ground. Then it grew to a through-the-clothes-and-skin-down-to-the-bones drenching. Finally, it gushed from the incontinent skies like a Biblical torrent.
The Tsumeb river burst its banks and flooded the dunes, gushing like a serpent through Langstrand. Dead Vlei filled with lithe, swirling water. Water lilies started to bloom. Birdsong sprinkled its magic.
It rained until the mummified trees were drowned, the birds fled and all that remained was the water, the sand and silence.
THE END