Cityscape's Sleep

Cityscape went into hiding today. He sat there as normal last night, twinkling merrily against the black sky, then this morning… nothing. A flat grey area replaced the area he normally inhabits.

During the dead hours of early morning, he called out to Mother Nature for help. His whisper drew no attention from normal people, of course, for it sounded like the soft rumble of a distant train… and who notices that anymore, in this world so filled with machinery? As all of the citizens slumbered on, Cityscape whispered his plight in the patient ears of Mother Nature.

He described the misery and melancholy he witnessed day-by-day : the greed of the businessmen, the exploitation of the middle class, the constant trampling those even less fortunate. He explained how the media ignored the suffering so no one helped those who needed it, the cost of an education was rising so the next generation would never be able to rise above, and how all of the smaller local businesses were getting pushed out of the way by larger corporations. With a small sob—nothing more to those down below than a soft gust of wind—Cityscape turned his attention to the homeless. As he described their condition to Mother Nature, the lack of charity and compassion down below overwhelmed him, and a soft rain began to fall on the streets of the city.

Mother Nature listened sympathetically. She had heard of such troubles all over the globe, and had no solution. When Cityscape was able to control his tears, he asked her to help him escape. He said he could not bear the despair any longer, and hoped to find a new smaller town to build up with better results. Mother Nature exhaled a gentle sigh, and slightly larger waves began to crash along the shoreline from the pressure of her breath. She could not help Cityscape with what he desired. His city needed him if it would ever improve its condition. She paused for a moment before replying, and the night grew utterly still.

Finally, Mother Nature answered. She offered Cityscape a temporary respite from the troubles as a chance to revitalize himself. She drew up a large grey blanket and tucked it over him, murmuring softly “Sleep deeply and sleep long. When you awake, you need to continue the work you have begun here. Improve the lives of those down below.” He nodded sleepily, feeling the weariness of the daily struggle overpowering his ability to stay awake, and lifted the blanket up over his head. All those down below would wake to a world covered in fog.