Crafting Fanny The Fairy: Adam's World

The world in Adam's story was heavily influenced by the feelings that surrounded my experience of the pandemic in 2020. I did not want to recreate the pandemic literally (who wants to hear about that again). Instead, I wanted to take some of the emotions that defined that period for me. Fear, isolation, uncertainty, scarcity and the sudden realisation that the world I considered stable could change almost overnight. 

That is why Adam's world does not collapse in one dramatic moment. It deteriorates slowly. Prices increase. Resources become scarce. People become desperate. The wealthy protect themselves while others struggle to survive.

 

"Supermarkets raised their prices and long queues formed at petrol stations. Water pressure dwindled, causing discomfort and uncertainty to become an unwelcome norm."

 

This was one of the elements that I particularly wanted to preserve. During the pandemic, ordinary routines suddenly became difficult. Things that had previously seemed completely unremarkable such as going to a shop, travelling, seeing other people, all became complicated.

In Adam's world, that feeling has been extended over almost a decade. The crisis also creates divisions between people. Those with money are able to protect themselves while everyone else is left to face increasingly difficult circumstances.

 

"The wealthy fortified their properties while job opportunities dwindled, with baseless accusations blaming the unemployed from poorer regions."

 

I wanted this part of the story to reflect how quickly fear can change the way people view one another. When resources become scarce, compassion can become a luxury. Bellville therefore becomes a community built around resilience. Rosa uses the knowledge she inherited from her farming background to help feed people. Craig uses his construction skills to contribute to the town. Traditional knowledge becomes essential because modern systems can no longer be relied upon.

 

"Traditional herbal wisdom, passed down through generations, became a lifeline for the sick and suffering, and Rosa emerged as a beacon of healing."

 

Adam grows up in the middle of all of this without fully understanding what happened before he was born. That was important to me. Children who grow up after a major crisis often inherit its consequences without necessarily understanding the world that existed before it. They inherit their parents' fears, habits and survival instincts without always knowing where those instincts came from.

Adam's curiosity about the outside world therefore becomes even more understandable. He has only ever known the aftermath. He wants to know what came before.