The Wounded Land

Somchai’s gaze lingered over the devastated jungle, his heart pounding with a bitter mixture of sorrow and rage. Once a lush expanse of towering trees and vibrant wildlife, the land now lay scarred, its veins of life severed. Broken stumps jutted from the earth like the bones of a forgotten titan, and the once-pristine rivers now churned with toxic sludge, their crystal-clear waters tainted by years of industrial waste. The dense canopy that had once shielded this sacred land from the sun was no more.

The stench of chemicals in the air seemed to cling to his skin, a constant reminder of the destruction Alia had wrought. He could still hear the distant hum of chainsaws, the metallic grind of bulldozers carving through the earth as though it was nothing more than a commodity. The greed of industry had ravaged everything. His people’s land. Their heritage. Their future.