Greg, let me start by saying this was a fantastic story. Excellent choice. I love it when an author can take a commonly accepted writing rule (don't over describe) and stand it on its head.

Each of these items are a means of conveying a place, a time, and meaning to his audience. And as you mentioned in your article, the author also uses the description to link the world that he built directly to the action. Tim O'Brien does this in 'The Things They Carried', and I have to admit that it kicks my ass a little when used well.

And hey, if we're gonna talk about metaphors, the snake definitely stood out to me as a metaphor for time. What's interesting is that the author spared the people but destroyed civilization, allowing us a quick snapshot of what it would be like without it. Which is pretty cool.

Like the main character, we expect our creations to live beyond us. Perhaps if we can't live forever, our impact in society can, right? But to Blaine Vitallo, it's all futile. Everything we build eventually crumbles because only entropy is eternal. It might a bummer ending, but it doesn't make it any less true.

So why do anything?

I think the answer can be interpreted a few different ways, but as @xanderslee mentioned, the main character continued despite all of her creations being destroyed. My guess (maybe I'm just projecting my own beliefs here) is that the simple act of doing things is a way of coping with nothingness. Sort of like an existential moral built into the story.

Pretty neat.

Well, that's my nerd-out session for the evening. Excellent story, Greg. Way to kick things off.