If one thinks about it, the greatest wonder of the world is the world itself. But people took advantage of this majestic figure. They began to believe that the world belonged to them, when in reality, they were nothing but pawns on greed’s chessboard. And with every step they took, they only grew closer to their opponent: voracity. It played the game, and at the same time, it played them. But they did not realise. Hence why humanity never won. The future. The era of flying cars, skyscrapers reaching past the clouds and technologies beyond man's imagination. But, what if the future is not what we should be looking forward to? What if the future ends up in ruins, due to the actions that we are making today? Due to our greed for more. It is the year 2721, but instead of skyscrapers and flying cars, there’s monstrous creatures, unique human abilities, and no kind of trust. At least that’s the way it felt for Thea. Like there was no ‘winning’. Living two different identities, she seemed to be trapped in her never-ending pit of secrets. The only thing she is able to remember is what she hopes to forget. And all she ever wanted to do was forget. But she couldn’t, and now that a certain dreaded day has arrived, will Thea’s past continue to haunt her, or will she finally be able to let go? Voracity. The greed for more. Thea had more. But she didn’t want more. She only wanted one thing. Something that she could no longer have. Confused by the past, present, and future, what will her next move be?
About Year of the Novella program: Over the course of 2018, a select group of young writers was invited to take part in a year-long writing program at the Story Factory. Their goal was to produce not just a fistful of poems, or a story, or a script, but a fully realised novella. The volunteers working with our budding novelists were there not so much as tutors but as mentors and peers, offering help and support while writing a novella of their own. This is one of the novellas produced in these workshops.