Gloom

           The year is unknown, for the time is difficult to track in the Town of Gloom. Days and nights seem as one. Light has not broken through the darkened skies in several generations.

           Most people in the town lead a mundane life wearing clothing that lack bright colors, and instead consist of several shades of grey or black. Many of the townspeople work at the powerplant in town for a very wealthy, yet stingy man by the name of Bartholomew Cathcart. Mister Cathcart is feared by most due to his influence with every facet of the government in town, from the police chief to the Mayor. If your workload falters or you speak out of turn, he will make you regret it for the rest of your life.

           One of the laborers at the powerplant is Jeremy Cobblestone, a meek and slender man. He feels invisible at times when Mister Cathcart wanders through the plant to check up on things, for he has passed by him on several occasions without acknowledging his existence.

           One such occasion took place not one week ago when Jeremy was busy delivering supplies from one department to another and he had accidentally tripped on a loose stone on the floor and the cart he had been pushing propelled itself across the room and came to a stop just a few feet from Mister Cathcart. The cart slammed hard against the grey walls of the facility and toppled over sending several loose gears, nuts and bolts hurdling across the black polished shoes of his boss.

           Mister Cathcart looked down at his shoes, then over to his left where his aide stood and simply grimaced, directing his darkened pupils toward his feet. The aide immediately dropped to the floor and began to shine the shoes with a handkerchief that he removed from his jacket pocket. Mister Cathcart then stepped over the mess and continued his inspection. As they passed, Jeremy ran to the mess and began picking up the fallen parts.

           Later in the shift, after delivering the last of his parts, Jeremy noticed a brass key at the bottom of the cart. He was certain that it was not there before. Upon one side of the key was an engraved symbol that resembled a star with four large triangular points and four smaller triangular points surrounding a circle. Unsure what to do with it, Jeremy slid the key into his pants pocket and forgot about it.

           After his shift ended, Jeremy went home to his house on Dreary Lane near Dismal Drive. His wife, Sarah was busy in the kitchen making dinner when he arrived.

           “Hello, Sarah,” Jeremy said as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “How was your day, my love?”

           “Rather uneventful, I’m afraid. Though a dog did run through the yard earlier, so that was exciting.”

           “How wonderful,” Jeremy expressed. “I hope you wrote that down in your journal.”

           “Yes, indeed I did. How was your day at work today, darling?”

           “I tripped on that loose stone again, but this time, I sent a cart filled with parts launching toward Mister Cathcart. He seemed virtually unphased by the event, though I could tell by the scowl on his face that he was looking for someone to fire.”

           “That must have been traumatizing for you, my dear. Why don’t you get showered and changed? Dinner will be ready shortly,” his wife suggested.

           Jeremy entered the bathroom and began to get undressed for the shower. As he removed his pants, his heard something metal clanging upon the light grey tile floor. He looked down to see the brass key. He picked it up and held it between his thumb and index finger, examining it closely. Never had he seen something so shiny and colorful. It was almost hypnotic. His trance was broken at the sound of his wife, Sarah, reminding him the dinner was nearly done. Jeremy set the key onto the ledge of the vanity and got into the shower.

           During dinner, Jeremy told Sarah about the key he had found. She too was dumbfounded at the sight of it. Such things had never been seen, or even spoken of in the Town of Gloom. Such a treasure could only be the property of his boss, Bartholomew Cathcart. But how did he come in possession of such an item, he wondered. Then it came to him. It must have fallen during the cart incident at the powerplant and gotten mixed in with the spare parts.

           Jeremy pondered how he should approach Mister Cathcart about the key. He thought that it was possible that Mister Cathcart could react in one of two ways; he could either be quite grateful for Jeremy returning the key or accuse him of stealing it and firing him on the spot with the promise to ruin his life. Jeremy decided to keep quiet about the key for the time being.

           The next several days went on as per usual, though Mister Cathcart toured the powerplant less frequently and when he did, he had a worrisome look upon his face. Jeremy wondered if it had something to do with the key but remained silent.

           The horn sounded and another workday had finished. Jeremy packed up his belongings and walked seven blocks to his home. He looked to the sky. An outline of grey clouds shadowed the dark sky. It always looked like it was going to rain, but Jeremy could not recall ever seeing it rain. Not that rain would make a difference for there was no plant life. No trees nor grass. No flowers or even weeds. The land was a mix of pavement, concrete, stone, and dirt.

           He walked inside. His wife was listening to the news channel on the radio. It was the only channel that could be received on the radios in town. The man spoke of breaking news saying that a great tragedy had befallen their great town. He announced that Jeremy’s boss, Bartholomew Cathcart had died suddenly of a heart attack at his office that day. He stated that the Cathcart family would be shutting down operations at the powerplant except for the necessary crew members needed to keep it running temporarily. The rest of the employees were expected to attend the funeral which was to be held in three days time.

Jeremy looked to his wife and saw the concerned look on her face. He knew what she was thinking. She was concerned about the uncertainty of his job now that Cathcart was dead.

Jeremy tried to convince her that everything would be fine and that his job was secure. They still needed employees to run the plant even though his job was not considered essential by any means.

On the day of the funeral, all the employees were invited up to the tower where Mister Cathcart had his office. From there, he could overlook all operations from a bird’s eye view. Most of the employees had never been up in the tower and were in awe of their surroundings.

A clinking noise sounded over the murmuring of voices in the crowded boardroom. A distinguished-looking woman in her late forties stood upon a pedestal tapping a spoon against a champagne glass. The noise settled down and all attention was on her when she began to speak.

“Thank you all for attending today,” the grey-haired woman began. “My name is Isadora Cathcart, wife of the late, Bartholomew Cathcart, your boss.”

The next several minutes were spoken of her husband’s many accomplishments over the years. Then she got to the part that everyone was waiting to hear.

“Regarding the future of the powerplant, I wish to appoint a new CEO to oversee the running of this facility. My brother, Finneas Hornbuckle. As for all of you, I can assure you that your jobs are all safe for the time being,” A sigh of relief sounded across the room. “But in the future, downsizing may be necessary.” The murmuring began once again.

The ceremony continued, but Jeremy’s curiosity got the best of him and he slipped out the doors and into the hall. He scurried like a mouse down the corridor and past the elevators until he reached a stairwell. Strangely enough, the staircase only travelled upward and not down. Jeremy looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching, then he slipped catlike through the doorway and started up the stairs.

At the top, Jeremy found a large wooden door with a brass handle. He gripped the handle and turned. It was locked. His face turned from excited to disappointed in an instant. He shoved his hands into his pants pocket as he considered what to do next. Touching the tip of his right middle finger was something metal. He grabbed hold and eased it out of his pocket. It was the brass key that he had found days earlier.

He slipped the key into the lock and turned it to the right until he heard a click. With his right hand, Jeremy grasped the door handle once again and turned it clockwise. This time it turned freely. The door inched open slightly and Jeremy swung it open the rest of the way.

In an instant he was blinded by a light so brilliant that he needed to shade his eyes from the intensity. It took several moments before his eyes were able to adjust to the brightness. When his vision finally cleared, he nearly fell backwards down the stairs.

Before him sat a vast land filled with so many beautiful colors that Jeremy could not even fathom. He was standing at the opening of a structure that was built into a hillside. Lush green grass covered the ground and fragrant flowers filled his nose with unbelievable scents. A warm breeze swept across his face and he took in a deep breath of fresh, clean air.

Jeremy looked back toward the staircase. He could not wait to tell the others what he had discovered, but first he needed to get his wife, so he ran as quickly as he could back home and told her to drop whatever she was doing and follow him. They hurried back to the powerplant and Jeremy refused to tell Sarah about his discovery no matter how much she persisted. He knew that she needed to experience it for herself.

They made their way back up to the tower and snuck past the crowd still mingling around the boardroom and getting drunk on the free alcohol. He led her up the staircase and told her to cover her eyes until he told her to remove her hands. She did as he asked, and he opened the door.

She felt the breeze blowing through her hair and slowly absorbed the smell of the flowers at her feet. Jeremy told her to gently remove her hands and open her eyes slowly afterward. When she did, she stumbled back at the shock of what she was witnessing.

“What is all this, Jeremy?”

“I believe that this is a secret that has been kept from us all our lives. The Cathcart family has known of this other world for decades likely but kept it to themselves to control us.”

Jeremy and Sarah hurried back down the stairs and began gathering up several of the workers before leading them to their discovery. Before long, all the employees were above ground indulging in this newfound world. Mrs. Cathcart eventually found her way up the stairs as well and in a panicked voice said…

“I insist that you all return to the powerplant immediately. This place is not safe. You must return to the security of your homes. I will make sure you will all keep your jobs, just please go back.”

Her words fell onto deaf ears as news of the discovery started spreading throughout the town. Eventually, all the townspeople were there to enjoy the wonderful sites. One-by-one, they began to descend the hillside until they reached a nearby town. Jeremy led the crowd as they walked down Main Street. They acted like kids in a candy store as their excitement exploded at the simplest little details that most people in the world we know, would take for granted.

The residents this town, on the other hand, looked at their visitors with uncertainty. They looked to these strangers as if they were a cult there to bring trouble to their quiet town. Someone called the police, and the local Sherriff arrived soon after. He demanded to know what they were doing in his town. Jeremy spoke on their behalf.

“We are sorry for disrupting your town so unexpectedly sir, but you see, up until a few hours ago, we didn’t know this place existed.”

He filled the Sherriff in on the detail of the Town of Gloom and the deceitful ways that kept them hidden away for so long. The Sherriff had difficulty believing such an amazing tale at first but was eventually swayed and arranged to have Jeremy tell the story in front of all the townspeople at the town hall later that evening. He made a few calls and gave Jeremy and Sarah a place to get cleaned up before the meeting.

Jeremy was nervous as he stood at the podium in front on a few hundred people that evening. Many of them sat with arms crossed and a frown on their faces as if they had already passed judgment about his arrival, but by the time he finished speaking, many of the town folk offered to put the new visitors up for a while until they could get settled. Before the sun had set that night, the little town of Sunray had nearly doubled in population.

Jeremy and Sarah became active members in the social committee in town while the rest of the former Gloom residents found work in various stores and industries in Sunray or surrounding towns. They left Gloom behind for good and basked in the light that now filled their lives.