Our Town

The day she arrived the town had an unusual gloom ligenring within it’s horizon. The town was veiled with dark clouds; as if the weather was reflecting people’s emotions itself. We had not been able to grow much crops. The misfits huddled together along the small roads, the misfits moving ever so slowly along the roads as equally gloomy vendors sold goods. She wore a rather extravagant cavalier hat with black eagle feather sticking out, way too blinding of an attire for the townspeople. Eyes started to leave their places to fixate at the strange woman. 

Our town was a town built out of the distorted reality of what the world had become today. The town consisted of all types of faces, all with one particular thing in common, they all wore a mask of sheer pain, sorrow and longing. Surprise and curiosity and soon followed fright, from the alien. I stood too, staring at the strange cloaked women.      

It was an utmost rarity for anyone to come to this part of the city, into our small timid town. But, the woman seemed determined as she walked inside the small rigidity town gates and into the murmuring crowd. People parted, as if fearful as she walked straight towards my stall where I sold fruits, if you could call those dried up vegetation, fruits that is. 

  “Hello, I am from the city center and I want to stay for a while. Where can I find lodging?” We did not have many, if any lodging facilities at all because the only people willing to visit a miserable lot like us were the officials commanded to check up on us, that too, once in a while. I stared at her, almost in a trance as I searched for words. 

  “W-we don’t really have any good facilities for that here but...you can stay at mine.” Homes here were nothing but small concrete blocks designated for each family or individual in accordance to the size. 

Thus began our silent walk towards my home. Our town was a part of a new social reform that our country decided to set up. There is no better way to explain it than what meets the eye. We were made of all the social rejects from the prominent towns and cities. Flocks that did not fit in with others, social outcasts. We were ostracised and estranged. We became an example, for anyone else who dared to not fall in the rigid, proper manner of how the country deemed people should be. It was a painful reality, each one that was stuck here shared. It was not unlawful for us to step out of our dark town, but no one would dare to. Some had tried before, only to be met with hostility, refused to be given even the lowest of the bread earning jobs. If you belonged from here it was a certainty that you would be treated as a diseased animal out of here. To us, life outside was only a dream, a fantasy we often humoured ourselves with. I too would on occasions succumb to it, I must accept. Anyways, we began walking in silence and I could not help but occasionally steal a glance at the woman. 

  “Why...have you come here to this wretched place?” I finally asked, letting my curiosity out. 

  “Cause, it was suffocating there.” She answered and I just listened with utmost surprise. I pondered about what she said for a while. I let her into my small home, there was only one bedroom, so I lent her that room. She put her belongings in the corner of the tiny room and sat down on the edge of my small bed. And then, it was only us basking in the silence, two women with the widest social standings. 

  “How is it suffocating there?” I asked “Isn’t it a lot better? Big houses, businesses, up to date innovations...succulent fruits….” 

  “And equally dry people.” She took a deep breath as if a huge burden was lifted off of her strong womanly shoulders. 

  “Thanks for letting me stay, it saves me the trouble of going around asking.” I nodded, half the reason I agreed to it was because of my ever growing curiosity towards her. 

  “It’s like walking among zombies.” She continued. “Glossed eyes that cover up utter boredom and pain of the same strightlined personalities. ‘Be the best workers, students, citizens and never let your twisted selfish laziness and desires take over’, they say.but all it seems to me is an act. People are miserable there! The only reason they act so uptight and proper is because they are too scared to be abandoned by the city. It’s blatant fear mongering out there.”

She plops down, laying on my bed, her legs hanging from the edge. “Thus, I am here to see what they are so terrified of.” she announced to the ceiling.

  “You are simply unique, aren’t you?” I chuckled, as I went to bring her a glass of water. 

  “There, drink up, you are probably exhausted from walking this far. It;s not like you got any rides to this place.” She takes the glass and quickly makes the liquid disappear.

  “Take me out on a tour.” She asks, looking at me with glinting eyes with such excitement, no one would dare refuse. 

And thus, we went out into the new world for her. I showed her around, at the shops, the small broken-down park where children played and more until we were halted on our venture.

  “Miss…”  came an old strained voice. I and she turn around to find an old lady supported on a stick tugging at her cloak. 

  “Yes?” She says questioningly, I wondered if she would be offended at the touch from an ostracised person, afterall, she looked like she belonged from a high standing. 

  “Are you from the city, miss?” 

  “Yes, I am”

  “Oh! My granddaughter lives there, do you know her? Her office is right next to Shimata station.Her name is Maya.”

  “Shimata station? I am so sorry, I live way far from that province and have probably not seen your daughter.” She bows politely and we move on.

  “So, do you like what you see so far?” I asked skeptically and almost held my breath.

  “Well, the city is in filth but the people are brighter.” I was amused, 

  “Brighter ? How are these people living depressingly bright in any way?” I felt a slight speck of anger bubble inside my core.

  “They can be depressed freely , can they not?” and as she spoke that line, maybe, for the first time, I understood what she meant. I had not been sent away from the city, too long ago and I had glimpses of what the city was and for the first time in years I tried to recall what it was back in the city. I drew a sharp breath and replied.

  “Yeah.”