When the Swans Returned

The swans were finally returning, that much she knew. And with them, hope. Hilda couldn’t believe her eyes. There were at least half a dozen, and more coming in. 15 years of no swans, and then suddenly, they were there.

She only wished her father was still around to see them. He’d left her with a broken heart, and a desire to bird watch. Every skill she had for identifying birds and finding them in the most unlikely places came from him.

Not that this was an unlikely place. They often came to the farm field, before the virus had taken most things out. She’d watched them many times from the large bay window in their living room as a child, as they soared in, with their powerful wings flapping and trumpet sounds blaring. Life was slowly returning, even if her father wouldn’t return with it.

Life was hard. Even 15 years later, most of the people on the planet who survived the initial virus were barely hanging on. It didn’t help that most of the wildlife, pets, farm animals, and any other kids of life were largely gone. The virus had taken everything, people, plants, trees, animals. Very little grew, and what did, they weren’t sure how safe it was to eat it unless it was grown in a sealed greenhouse.

Scientists spent the past 15 years researching, trying to find a cure. One had come in the form of a spider, at least they hoped it was. One bite, and the victim was suddenly immune to what killed them before. Slowly, animals began to return, life began to not just survive, but thrive. And now, the swans returned too. Once almost completely extinct, they’d made a comeback, only to be almost taken out by the virus. Now, they too returned. And with them, hope for the future.