THE year is 2150, the effects that have been cautioned for years have arrived. The atmosphere pulsates of toxic heat, and the waters are clumpy from chemical and physical waste. Most of the species we know and love have gone extinct due to the habitat destruction caused by human lifestyles. As the waters shift in temperature and oxygen levels, new forms of life have emerged from the dark corners of the mysterious oceans. Desperate for nutritional intake, society was quick to begin fishing these creatures, reverting back to their natural instincts of greedy consumption. They began eating the Squamas, an underwater species that was a mystery to humans until now, affecting the consumers in more ways than one. Many individuals’ immune systems, which had been compromised from earlier pandemics, could not handle the flesh of the Squama, and would become terribly ill and pass away. This created a wave across the globe as it was quickly consumed worldwide, which wiped out half of the human population. The remaining citizens were not left untouched. Those who survived began noticing changes in their bodies, including the growth of gills and webbing of their hands and feet. The Squama species had affected the individuals from the inside out, turning the human body into one more compatible with the water.  

Casablanca, Morocco is one of the many coastal cities that are now experiencing these higher sea levels. Residents are being forced to abandon their old ways and find alternative lifestyles to survive the changes that have come. Resorting to the taller structures, the community has begun building private residences as an extension to the existing building. These skyscrapers appear in a dilapidated state due to the reoccuring extreme weather conditions. They have been turned into their own, more compact version of a town, catering to all the hobbies that people have become accustomed to. With markets for trading food and goods, courts to play sports, halls to hold meetings and performances, and restaurants to enjoy, the community still finds themselves guaranteed the everyday pleasures of life before the transformation. The private homes are situated on the periphery of the building, extending out from the renovated floor levels that have been elongated to connect the two adjacent skyscrapers. In one of these homes resides the Samaka family, an active and beloved family in the community. 

Grandma Fatima Bennani was a little girl when the city began addressing the water that was coating the streets of the city. Fatima’s parents, who met in their work as engineers, were heavily involved in the development of the new skyscraper center. Throughout her lifetime Fatima watched the community evolve and make the two sets of 28 floors their home. Grandma Fatima grew up and had a daughter, Zara, who went on to marry Abad Samaka and grow her own family. Together they live in a residential unit on the east side of the center. 

The family is very active in the community. Zara herself plays a large role in the center’s school. Not only acting as the coordinator and teacher of younger children, she also offers constant support and tutoring for everyone, committed to the continued dedication to education. The father, Abad, takes charge of the family trade, gathering the underwater vegetation that have been growing on the remaining underwater structures, preparing it in batches, and trading it at the markets for other goods the family may need. His eldest son, Malik, helps his father in most of the process, having become the best diver in the family. The twin sisters, Maryam and Leila, are beginning to learn their trade with their father, as they are reaching the age where they are becoming more skilled near the ocean floors. Like the children in the center, they attend school and join their friends in extracurriculars, crucial in a child’s development. Baby Ali, the latest addition to the family, has just celebrated his first birthday, and is already showing confidence around the water. His parents believe he will be a talented underwater farmer and bring their family great pride.