My notion that this anthology from Northern Ireland tends to shun the city for the (often illusory) simplicity and beauty of nature is sort of born out by the next story. Here, however, nature has come back with a vengeance. Great swathes of new and mysterious growth called plantations (a very charged word in Irish history) have appeared and with this incursion of greenery came something else. A tribe of non-human entities referred to as 'the other fellers' and 'the kindly folk' have whisked away half the population. The whole world may be affected, but who knows? Modern tech has failed. People are on their own as society degenerates into frightened, isolated communities defended by local militias.
The story bears a passing resemblance to The Road or The Mist, in that it's a tale of a father desperately trying to protect his son as they embark upon a perilous journey. The protagonist's wife has been taken by one of the strange creatures - a huge, terrifying entity that seems to defy normal human perception. It seems that the father's quest is futile, suicidal even, but he has no choice. Dreams draw him on, while the last vestiges of society fester and molder around him.
This is borderline fantasy/horror/sf. The story is a fragmentary account of a world that's disintegrated, and some might be disappointed that nothing is explained, only described. However, given the tale's provenance, I think that is fair enough. Knowing why something destroys your community, wounds your family, does not restore one or heal the other.
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