Finding a place to grow food in the city was becoming an emergent crisis. Overpopulation forced building housing on every square inch of land that wasn’t streets or sidewalks. The price of food, both at grocery stores and at farmers markets made it unaffordable to most. Growing one’s own became essential.
Bands of like-minded (and hungry) people decided to try a community gardening approach. Knowing that those-who-were-starving marauders would steal what was grown, so they needed to find a secure place to plant their crops. That’s when they found the abandoned factory on the outskirts of town.
It was a solid structure with plenty of light streaming in from above. Upon investigation they found a working well and a furnace that was repairable, as well as a power pole nearby for electricity. What they needed to get started was dirt or a hydroponic alternative. As most of the group was familiar with growing in soil, they chose it, but they also had an experimental hydroponic setup in a small corner.
Dirt was gathered from compost piles across the city. Everyone pitched in over the months until there was enough soil to get started. Ventilation fans were installed and the furnace was repaired.
Once word got out about their indoor farm, the marauders would come. They set up surveillance cameras and 3 volunteer guards for the night shift and 2 for the day shift. Armed.
They started slow, with the basic crops of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, peas, carrots, spinach, swiss chard, pumpkin, and sunflowers. They set up a beehive for pollination. All ages worked, doing whatever chores they were best able to do. Children watched and learned.
At harvest time, they joined in a communal meal and thanked their Gods for leading them to this place.
The End.
Fandango is the host of Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.
Tao Talk 
Great take! Makes perfect sense! 😊👏
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🙂 Thank you much, Jen, yes it does.
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Sure does! You’re welcome 😊
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You are on a roll Lisa…another nice one.
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Thank you!
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Well done, you! I followed you to the prompt ( and wrote mine before I came back to read yours – as I prefer to do …) – mine drinks from a similar well, of sort, but may be rather less optimistic …
Thanks for the idea to do the FFFC!
https://naamayehuda.com/2019/09/30/a-roof-over-her-head/
Na’ama
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Wonderful, Na’ama and glad you participated in FFFC!
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🙂 I like stalking people to fun writing prompts … 🙂 Thanks for being a good sport about it! 🙂
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Anytime!
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🙂
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Seems many viewed this image and wrote about dystopian futures. At least yours seemed to end well.
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Thanks for the good prompt picture, Fandango.
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I hope it doesn’t come to that…you made it seem very real. (K)
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Thanks, K. I hope so also.
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That’s an oddly utopian dystopia. Everyone working together to rebuild is how it should be, but all our dystopian adventures tell us there are always those who don’t want to play nice. The threat of marauders makes me think that might not be the end.
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Human nature is the best of times and the worst of times. Not sure you can have one without the other 😦
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