Look at you, the girl who knew no bounds, the girl who owned a city, sitting across from me.

The fire is burning in your eyes. A frown plays on your brow, as you tell your story again. Head to the side, glass twirling in your hands, you remind me who you are.

As if I could forget, as if for a second, I could imagine this any other way.

As the words pour out of your mouth (beautiful lips) you grab my arm and bring me back to the here and now. Here we are, following the script we have etched in our heads from so long ago.

I will try to answer your questions tonight; I will make sure your dreams remain intact. Have you ever noticed how perfect I have become at saving you?

Your words are now subdued, you lay down your weapons and look to me for relief.

Please don’t make me tell you the truth. Let me lie to you, I still want to be your comfort. Come with me now, pretend that w e are alone in this charade.

Tomorrow we can go out together and show them in all your glory. You can fight the indecisions with all of my strength. I will help prove that you are the one, but tonightLook into my eyes and tell me that you wouldn’t give up every alley and every park just to see to the peace come again.

Close your eyes and sleep, tomorrow I will find a world for you to buy, for now just be with me.


This was late night nodeshell challenge from dustfromamoth

A children's book by O.T. Nelson, originally published in 1977. The book explores a Wild In The Streets-esque fantasy scenario in which everyone over the age of 12 dies of a mysterious virus. Anarchy ensues, and thanks to roving, Lord of the Flies-style organizations of toughs, cities become dangerous places to live. The book follows a 10-year-old named Lisa as she first tries to organize the kids on her street into a self-sustaining, defensible community, then moves them all to an old school called Glenbard when that falls through.

According to an Amazon review, the writing is a bit heavy-handedly educational, but the sheer fantasy fulfillment value of the story to kids has kept it in print. (When he was 11 or so, my older brother took the fulfillment part a step further and designed his own role-playing game around the concept of warring pre-teen strongholds defending themselves from raiders with improvised weapons. The home of us player-characters was called Glenbard, straight from the book. He did his best to keep things at least somewhat realistic and draw them out to their logical conclusion, but it got a little out of control when he let a group of us take a car across the country to try and restore our electricity by breaking into NORAD. Even at the age of eight, I had some questions about this, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.)

If on some sunny Saturday morning you decide to take the long way to the Mountain View downtown and take Central Expressway instead of Highway 101 South, and take a left turn into the Castro Street so you'll be able to drive very slow without fearing the honks from other cars; Then, on that day, you'll find red light at the Villa and Castro intersection.

You should stop here and look towards your left, on the other side of the road. There is a Coffee shop there, with almost a ceiling high glass window facing the side road. This window, you can see that, the shop owner has decorated with all various pastel colored china. On the outside, against this window across the foot path is the bus stop with a wooden bench with shade of an old Juniper.

You'll see a very cheerful young girl sitting cross legged on this bench. She could be sipping coffee if it is a winter day. She'd be wearing a Maroon colored blazer and a woolen scarf covering her hair. She looks at all those who pass her by and replies with smile to everyone who wishes her a nice day. If you watch her long enough you'll notice that every once in a while that she smiles, she also wipes a tear off her eyes.

If the intersection light has turned green by now, you should go ahead and cross the intersection; find some parking and walk back to this bench. She would still be there even if a bus just stopped and went by. She's not waiting to catch a bus you see.

"I own a city", she starts by saying if you sit by her and strike up a conversation. She's would be easy to talk to and would be willing to tell stories as long as lonely nights. "A city with high walls all around it, and gates, four of them, on either side. Its a city with old ways. A small city but a very beautiful one, with flowers everywhere, different colors and shapes and smells. And butterflies all around. And the sound of music, the kind that makes you want to sing and dance all day. And if you get on roof of a house and see in the distance outside the city, you could see Mountains, the tallest in the world. White as Fresh milk and mighty high; so high, you'll need to fly to see their top."

You may feel connected to her and feel ready to destroy the first thing that makes her cry. You'd want to kill and steal for her. "But my city is very small; and my people are very poor. There is not enough for everyone, so they do not have good homes to protect against bad weather; nor do they have enough clothes to wear. They dance and sing to keep their mind off their problems. But my people don't complain because they know I'm aware of their plight and penury."

She'll bring back memories. Oh all the memories. The girls you loved in your neighborhood when you were 10 maybe; the girl you had a huge crush for in high school and the ones that gave you heartaches in college; because she has that smile; that open and inviting smile, that smile that makes you feel happy and welcome. She has those hair, the ones that have a life of their own. they dance with each whiff of breeze that touches them and a few of them cover her face every so often and she removes them with her fingers.

"The day it was my birthday I met two very sweet twin girls in my palace's garden in rags. They looked almost my age; they called me 'Maharani' .They were very hesitant to ask what they wished to ask so I told them to not worry and say what they want to. When they couldn't speak for some time; my palace guard came forth and told me it was their birthday that day and they came hoping I'd give them presents. The girls looked very embarrassed and ashamed to have done that. I was filled with infinite sorrow to hear this and asked them to ask whatever they wish without worrying. I'll give them what they want. Can you guess what they asked for? Can you? They asked for one meal. One meal to quench their hunger. A handful of rice; a few vegetables maybe. One meal for a birthday present.", she stops to wipe her tears and smiles again, it pains you this time. You can't think of anything to say.

"I couldn't stand there, I ran inside the palace and asked guards to take care the girls don't leave without eating and food and clothes to take along, I could not sleep for nights. I could not see my city and find beauty anymore, everything started giving me sorrow. I ran away from there. I abandoned my city. Now I live here where people have enough to not worry about clothes and shelter and they don't fear mornings because they know they'll still have food. I miss my city but I can't go back now. I'm ashamed."

She'll stop and start to sip her coffee again. You'll be too sad to say anything. You'll feel tears in your throat maybe.

Don't say much; just tell her she'll be all right if you can and walk back towards your car. Don't fall for her. She'll be fine. I know; I knew her once ... I still find strands of her hair in bed...

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