Ficlets

The problem was based on the ingenuity of the engineers of the past. John’s grandfather had figured out how to gather energy, but the issue of storing this energy was another matter. A partner of his, Gerald Pherman, determined that even a vast man-made battery could never store as much energy as was gathered. So he turned to the world’s largest electromagnet- the world itself. Not only would this store the energy, but it would also help in ambiently attracting the sun’s flares.

But he forgot about the next nearby electromagnet. The Moon also had a core rich in iron, and soon after the earth began storing energy, there was a noticeable change in the tides. The moon began looming closer, though it remained in orbit, and as such the tides swelled higher. Venice was frequently ten feet underwater, and the Statue of Liberty often appeared to be wading. The coasts were no longer safe. And the climate changed for the worse.

But worst of all, the moon would finally reach the earth in less than five years.