Chapter 1 — You Just Don’t Understand

A serial novel in the form of correspondence while the world as we know it collapses around us. I recommend you start at the Introduction:

https://medium.com/climate-for-change/climate-for-change-introduction-5331d5ab9313

But you can start anywhere you want.

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Chapter 1:

Pen on paper — delivered through regular mail:

Dear Grandpa Peter,

Surprise! A real letter! Today Mom took away my cell phone and my laptop. She said that she couldn’t tell when I was working on anything for school, with my face in a screen all the time. I told her that there is no way I can work on anything without my phone and my laptop. She just crossed her arms like she does. She doesn’t understand. She said I could just open a book and learn the old-fashioned way. Aargh! I was so mad. She can’t see how she is affecting my schoolwork. I’m almost sixteen! Why can’t I just have a normal family like everybody else?

I went for a walk today. After she took my phone right out of my hands and told me to go read a book, I couldn’t think straight. I walked for blocks and blocks thinking about all I could have said to her. As I walked, I tried out arguments in my head until I was sure that I would win. By the time I got home, she was gone. There was a note, which was mostly a list of chores for me to do. I have to do so many more chores than Melody. She is not a little girl anymore. She could do more.