The bubble burst

 The three friends were heading towards the lake to fetch water. Their buffalo card carrying 16 large earthen pots to bring the water back in. Hasu walked unnerved, chewing his cud on the earthen road in the early lights of the morning. Hasu may be unperturbed by the threats around but the boys were conscious. The attacks by tigers have been increasing recently. 

In these dry months just before monsoon, most sources of water dry up and both animals and humans must visit the few remaining water holes. The heat during the day can easily scorch a living being and people spend the noon hours in the dungeon like chambers of the fort. It is funny that only a hundred years after earthly human civilization collapsed, most of the buildings from the bubble age were gone too. But the structure from medieval times stayed intact- being rehabilitated after hundreds of years. Our boys lived in Kumbhalgarh with 10 thousand other people.

‘We are nearing the waterhole, keep your eyes open’ said Barchu. Samri and Hamir took up their positions on the corners looking out for movements. Once they reached the waters edge both of them jumped down and Bachu turned the card around and got down too. There were no animals nearby today. There were some birds nearby that kept it from turning into absolute silence. Hasu, the castrated male buffalo, was kept tied to the cart. 

The sound of bubbles created from pots being submerged into water made Samri turn back. He kept thinking about what his grandfather had told him. 

‘There was water in the ground earlier, you could just take it out when you wanted!’, Samri has wondered in amazement as his frail grandfather told him about olden days. 

‘It never occurred to the stupids that you can not take indefinitely’, he paused for a while looking at a distance.

‘Men grew so rapidly, in decades more than what millenia hadn't done. I wonder if it never occurred to them that it was unreal’. 

Samri couldn't imagine water coming out of the ground. He had seen deep holes that had been dug, but they never had any water.

‘They killed so many animals, why didn't they get rid of tigers too!’ quipped Hammir.

Samri looked at him. 

Hammir continued to look into the shrubs ‘I wonder why they took all the guns with them’.

The world is after 2150,the situation is in southern Rajasthan. 

After the great pandemic of 2030, 20 % of the worlds population died off. This was just one of the large pandemics that hit the world. As the demand for greater contribution from the worlds rich increased, there was a massive migration. First from the developing countries to the developed. Then from developed countries to Mars.

The world population further shrunk to 10% of its 2049 numbers by 2100. The world infrastructure collapsed. The breakdown of trade networks was the least of the worries as nuclear facilities failed and weapons ended up in the wrong hands.

At present the population is only .1% of 2049 numbers is 8 million and falling. Those who could have- fled to mars; there is no news of how things are there today. Only the most self dependent and backward communities have survived on earth.