City of Gloom

           This morning was not unlike any other morning in the City of Gloom. In fact, it was difficult to distinguish if it was morning at all, for day and night look the same here.

           The Gloom city council is scheduled to meet later today to discuss the urgent issues at hand. Mayor Grumble heads up the committee of eight. I am the mayor’s assistant, Phineas Foghat.

           As I look out the window of my apartment on Tedious Road, I see the citizens of Gloom wandering the streets. Each one of them hangs their head low, staring at the ground below their worn shoes. I will be joining them shortly as I head down to City Hall. One of my duties is to run all of Mayor Grumble’s errands, which for this morning, includes picking up his breakfast.

           I slip on my gray suit, tie, and shoes, then it is out the door I go. The sidewalk is packed with others trying to get to work on time, each of them dressed in similar clothes to me. We march down the street like bottles on a conveyor belt. While everyone else stares at the sidewalk, I raise my eyes to the sky and wonder if there is more to life. The sky is dark, and cloud covered. There are no stars or moon to see.

           As I reach Shadow Street, I head East toward City Hall, but on the way, I need to stop and pick up the mayor’s order from Shady’s Diner. Maria, behind the counter, has it ready when I walk in. Every day, it is the same meal, black coffee, burnt toast, and truffles with a slice of Gray Owl Cheese. The aroma from the truffles is overpowering as I quickly rush out the door and back into the semi-fresh air outside.

           When I enter the mayor’s chambers, he is sitting at his desk with a light gray bib tucked into his dark gray suit. In his hands, he holds a fork and knife while drool dribbles down his mammoth chin. I quickly set the food out in front of him and stand back as he devours the meal in a matter of seconds. I’m certain that if I left my hands near his plate for one second longer, I would have lost some fingers.

           With an enormous belch that filled the air with the smell of truffles, coffee, and old cheese, Mayor Grumble began barking out his orders to me.

           “Foghat!” he shouted from six feet away, “Get me the list of complaints from the workers at the mine. I want to know what to expect at the meeting today.”

           “Yes, of course, sir,” I replied. “I have it right here.” Pulling the list from my briefcase, I handed it over. The mayor studied the list for several moments and scratched down a few notes for later reference. Then he turned his attention back to me.

           “Foghat, I need you to run down to Bleaker Street and pick up a package for me. It is a gift for my wife. Today is our anniversary.”

           “Congratulations, Mayor Grumble. Will you and Mrs. Grumble be doing anything special tonight?”

           “Don’t be ridiculous, boy! I have a city to run. I don’t have time for such nonsense. Now, get out of here.”

           I rushed out of his office and headed back out onto the busy sidewalk. Bleaker Street was four blocks away, and the crowd had died down slightly from earlier, so I made it there in record time. The shop was called, “Waste Not, Want Not,” a second-hand store with items that other people had thrown away. As I walked into the front door and introduced myself, the manager came out from the back and told me that the mayor’s gift was all wrapped and ready to go. He handed me a box wrapped in newsprint that was no more than six inches wide and four inches high. I thanked him and left the store.

           As I crossed the street, it began to rain, so I ducked down an alley to take shelter. Light was nearly non-existent apart from a dim light at the far end of the alley. I walked towards it and was shocked to see that beneath the light stood a doorway, but not just any doorway, it was unlike any other door in the city. This door was the color red. I was taken aback, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Colors like this did not exist anywhere in Gloom City. I had to see where it led to.

           I reached for the handle of the red door, took a firm grasp of it, and turned the handle to the right, then the left. It was locked. I hung my head in despair as I pondered what secrets could possibly be hidden behind that door. Looking at the package in my hand, I realized that I had already wasted too much time. I needed to get back to City Hall.

           The mayor took the package from me and set it inside the drawer of his desk. He then ordered me to go prepare the council room for our meeting. Preparing the room was not a challenging task. I needed to make sure they each had a chair to sit in, a glass of water, and a copy of the agenda. I finished early and decided to have a seat in the mayor’s chair. It was larger and more padded than the others, and quite comfortable. I leaned back and set my feet upon the table in front of me then closed my eyes. That was when I heard a knock at the door.

           Startled by the sudden interruption, I fell backward from the chair and hit the floor, my feet still resting upon the table. When I finally composed myself and got to my feet, I saw Wanda Bluster standing in the doorway shaking her head in disgust. I begged her not to mention anything to the mayor about what she saw, and she agreed reluctantly. She was there to drop off paint swatches for the mayor to look over for his office. He could choose from Gunmetal Gray, Ash Gray, Slate Gray, or White Smoke. I thanked Wanda and told her that I would make sure he got them.

           Once the council meeting began, I knew that I would have a couple of hours of free time, so I decided to wander back down to the alley off Bleaker Street. This time, I brought along a small prybar to help me open the door. I tried the door handle once again to be sure, and it was still locked, so after scanning for onlookers, I wedged the prybar between the door and the doorjamb, and I pulled back with all my strength until I heard and felt the door pop open.

           Carefully, I eased the door open, praying nobody was waiting on the other side ready to clobber me. The hinges creaked with disapproval of my deed. Inside, was a dimly lit staircase that zig-zagged upward into darkness. I edged my way step-by-step until I reached the first landing, listening for any unusual noises, but I heard none, so I continued into the darkness, with my hands planted firmly on the railing to guide me.

           As I reached the top, I stepped out onto a flat platform. The darkness engulfed the room to the point where even sounds from the street below had faded away. That was when I saw it, a bright light above me waving back and forth. I shaded my eyes from the blinding light. A male voice came out of nowhere immediately after calling my name, but I couldn’t see anyone. Fear began to envelope me. I had no clue as to what was happening or who could be calling my name.

           Again, my name was called out, but this time by a woman. Somehow, I recognized the voice, but I couldn’t put a face to it. The light appeared again as I felt a hand squeeze mine. The female voice called out,

           “Phineas, open your eyes.”

           I could feel the grasp tighten on my hands and I strained my eyes to see past the light. Suddenly, images started coming into view, blurry at first, but after a few minutes, things became clearer.

           In the room, there were two people, a woman who sat by my side, and a man standing in front of me. As I looked around, I was surrounded by light and colors. I stared into the deep blue eyes of the woman next to me and my memory of her returned. She was my wife, Christine. I was in a hospital room and the doctor stood at the foot of my bed.

           Tears ran down Christine’s face as I smiled at the realization. I asked her how I got there, and the doctor began to speak.

           “Mr. Foghat, you have been in a coma for several weeks. You overdosed one evening and were found by your wife when she returned from work. She mentioned that you had been feeling very depressed lately, so it is my recommendation, that you start seeing a counselor regarding your mental state. Mental health is something to take very seriously, Mr. Foghat. I hope you are aware of that.”

           “Yes, doctor, I am aware, and I have had plenty of time to consider what kind of world this would be if we were all in a depressed state all the time. I certainly have no desire to return to Gloom City.”

           Christine and the doctor looked at each other perplexed at my statement, but I decided to wait until Christine, and I were alone to tell her about where I had been hiding out lately. It felt so real to me, and I am sure that there are thousands of people still trying to find their way out of Gloom City too. All I know for sure, is I plan to make the best of every moment from now on.