A City on a Rock
Style of Goya (Spanish, 19th century)
Standing as still as calm waters! Apprehensive, very much so! After having trekked countless miles through barren, deserted grounds, I finally arrived upon a new civilized land. Glaring forward, I looked upon a city that seemed to be heavily populated. The outskirts overflowing with individuals like me, approaching this city miles atop a rock. However, unsure on how to proceed, I simply took a moment to myself and reflected for what I had assumed was the antithesis of the present.
Taking it all in, I wondered, could this truly be the place that I traveled so far to be. Yes it was as described, the only city miles atop a rock in the lands, but what about everything else it was described to be like. For a city notorious for its hospitality towards tourists, why are so many people simply standing around, outside the city lines? Where are the city’s lands that were supposedly so rich in vegetation?
All I see are gloomy skies, over casted in the mid day light. Disgruntled, tired people bunch together simply wondering as I, why is such so? The air heavily coated with a thick smog, as countless fires burn at the base of the city rock.
Yet, curious to find out the nature of things, I proceeded towards the heart of the crowd. Before I could get far, someone from behind tapped me on my shoulder.
“Ms., do you know if we will be given shelter, once inside the city? Do you know if we will ever be allowed in before the storm is set to arrive”? , The young man asked. However, unsure as to what was happening in general, I quite simply said, “no, I have no idea, I’m sorry sir”, and continued to surge forward.
As I navigated through the crowd, there was a cacophony of noises. Mothers were crying out in agony, as they were unable to quench their young children’s thirst for food and water. “Why do our children have to suffer, they are but innocent young souls”, a mother exclaimed.
The men engaged in heated arguments as to how they should go about infiltrating the city, to forcibly bring about some action. “I say we get a log and light it in one of these flames circumventing around the city and burn down the gate”, a young stoic man proclaimed.
The elderly hunched over and seated, clearly overwhelmed by the heat and exhausted.
So, unsure on who to approach as everyone seem too distraught over their current plight, I resolved to simply cease in my quest to find out why nothing was like how it was supposed to be. Fortunately, when all hope in finding out the truth of the matter seemed lost, a former native to the city explained everything.
Come to find out, the city atop a rock called Nom wasn’t always so isolated and cruel to tourist and those simply passing by. The native explained,” One year ago, being the hospitable City of Nom, as it was known as, with an open gate on each side of the rock to freely let people pass on by and through, a group of individuals from the north took advantage of such kindness. They came into the city and stole all of the food, gold and destroyed many infrastructures in sight. They ignored the people in the city cries out for mercy. It is now the reason why the city gates are closed and those who left the city and pass by are unable to go back in. The fires circumventing the base of the city rock is specifically designed to scare people off and away.”
Just like when you and I are hurt by someone, something or a group of people, and isolate ourselves because we feel as though we reduce the possibility for further pain, I now understood why the city is no longer accommodating to the general population. However, although I came to understand why the city’s circumstances were so. I also realized that as humans we all behave differently, so we cannot base our actions on the generalization that if one speck of the majority did something the rest will.
