Read SURVIVING ABE: A Climate-Fiction Novel for Free Online

hunting.
    A meal of reheated, mediocre stew he had pre-cooked before leaving home tasted delicious as he ate it beside the campfire.  Being outdoors seemed to always make his cooking more flavorful for some reason.  With a full stomach, and considering his location on the map, the next day’s hunt began taking shape. That point above camp, on the map anyway, looked like it would offer a vantage point where he could glass a large area of prime elk habitat far enough from the ATV trails.  Gus hoped that any noise made by road-hunting ATVers would move the elk in his direction.
    Just as he got ready to crawl into the tent a distant elk bugle-sounded and Gus froze.  A few seconds later an answer to the challenge came, this one closer than the first bugle.  The hair on the back of his neck stood up; followed by a chill trickling down his spine.  Once in the tent he positioned his cot with care, so he could see the star-filled sky out the tent entrance while being serenaded by the passionate lyrics of elk in rut.
    An hour later he still lay there, lost in the sights and sounds of an ancient world, while shedding stresses caused by a modern one.

Con & Ela - Grand Junction, CO
    Autumn treated Grand Junction well.  As the high-country aspen lost their glory to the gusty winds of late September, the valley cottonwoods began turning rich yellows, and brilliantly festooned the streets of the city, holding off the drabness of approaching winter.
    After eating a light lunch they took advantage of the warm afternoon to stroll a few blocks of Grand Junction's downtown area, to enjoy window-shopping at the boutiques and stores that made up the shopping district.  Main Street with its corner artwork and park-like settings made getting some exercise after a meal inviting.  Ela and Con leisurely walked the pleasant street and enjoyed catching up on the minutia of each other's lives.
    "Okay , ready to see what I’ve done with the place in your absence?" Con asked as they got in the car.  "Try to see it as your inheritance invested wisely."
    " What?  Are you renting out my room to some college kid?"
    "That’s an idea.   You wouldn’t mind, huh?"
    " You think I should just stand by and let you influence another young life?" Ela asked in mock seriousness.  "Anyway, what’s going on at home?"
    "F ertilization, cultivation, and preparation."
    "P reparation sounds promising, but fertilization and cultivation I’m sure I don’t want to hear about.  And I don’t want any snot-nosed baby brother or sister.  What have you done this time, Mom?"
    "No worries there.   You fulfilled any and all wishes of motherhood for me, and then some.  Of course, I am anxiously awaiting my first grandbaby.  Do you think you will get married first?" Con asked sweetly.
    " Oh, so now you’re a proponent of single-motherhood?  That's not the way I remember my own single-mom during my formative years."
    "With age comes wisdom.   It hardly makes up for the things you lose though . . . " Con let that one fade as she made the final turn toward home.
    As the home Ela grew up in came into view she was amazed at the transformation. "Wow, did you transplant a forest?"
    " Those, my dear, are skyrocketing juniper trees. They are planted just inside the chain-link fence all the way around the backyard, about three feet apart.  They are growing about two feet per year and will reach fifteen feet high, I hope.  The backyard now feels very private and well protected," Con stated with obvious pride.
    Ela replied, "So that’s where you practice fertilization and cultivation?"
    " Yes, peace on earth, spelled differently than what you were trying to imply.  It has become my sanctuary, my island away from the craziness of the world," Con said.
    The garage door came up and Con pulled in with practiced ease.   Ela busily checked both sides of the garage, "What’s with all these built-in cabinets with doors?  You didn’t have any of this last time."
    "How many