THE CITY

I had lived in the City for five years.

Like any other outlander, my dream had always been to pack my bags and move in there. It was the perfect spot to stand out, a place of big opportunities... I can no longer recall all those things we used to say about the City back in my country.

For me (as well as for many other women), the only opportunity to travel came when we got married. Five years hence and after going through a divorce, I could say that I was satisfied with whatever I had accomplished. My work in the University, however, was still not that stable. I remained a freelance researcher. True, my contract was renewed every semester. But for how long, I don’t know.

It is for this reason that I decided to meet up that afternoon with Nell. She was the most established among all of us outlanders and had very good connections. She was a frequent guest at the parties organized by the University. I knew, too, that she was a good friend of the chair of the department where I worked. (It was because of her that I got this job in the first place.) I told her straight out that I would be interested to meet him personally since I wanted to submit some new project proposals to him and that I wanted to be a tenured researcher. She replied that she could arrange for a meeting. I knew that she would keep her word.

We continued catching up with each other for a little while more that hot afternoon as we sat at the terrace of that popular café and finished off our drinks.

Other outlanders came and, as always, began to ask Nell for some advice. I took it as an opportunity to leave.

I began strolling around aimlessly, going up and down the stairs of the City. It was a Friday afternoon and the streets were bursting with life. Some peddlers were selling their wares, most of which were gadgets that were both eye-catching and worthlessly entertaining.

One of them peddled those trendy “flying cookies” that caused quite a stir among teenagers. I have always been frugal with money and I don’t like spending it in frivolities. But that day – perhaps because of Nell’s encouraging words – I felt an urge to do something different and let my hair down for a little bit. So I bought a “cookie” at the risk of looking foolish. I asked the seller if it was safe and how to make it work. He assured me that it was completely safe and gave me the instructions on how to operate it.

I finally knelt on top of the “cookie.” I felt at that point that it was a stupid idea for a woman my age. The gadget quickly began to float. It was a fantastic feeling. I forgot all my anxieties and went up as high as I could, until the people below seemed like small stains on the floor. I almost ran into some teenagers who were driving their own vehicles. They did not even notice me as they were too absorbed in driving. All of a sudden, the lights of the City were turned on and the “cookie” began to disintegrate. It was then that I understood the reason behind its name. I was afraid that it would disintegrate completely before I could even manage to descend, so I started to maneuver it downwards.

I found myself in the big park located in the outskirts of the City. It was late at night. Luckily, the park was well-lit. In any case, everybody knew that the crime rate in the City was very low. There were almost no people there, save for a couple whom I didn’t wish to disturb. I began walking towards the bus stop. I knew that it was a bit far from the park. I decided to take the bridge that was in fact the big facility that supplied potable water to the City.

Suddenly, a shout behind my back caught me by surprise. A woman ran beneath the columns of the bridge. She was obviously trying to escape someone or something. She was shouting for help. I didn’t know what to do.

Just when I started to run towards her to see what I could do, somebody put a black sack around my head and hit me with a punch so strong that I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I realized to my horror that I had been placed inside a small cubicle and barely could move my arms. It was made of some type of plastic material that was soft to the touch. I sensed, too, that it was wobbling. I lifted my arms with all my might and noticed that the material gave way. I stood up and was filled with dread: I was inside the facility, in some kind of weird vehicle similar to a kayak.

Never did it cross my mind that the facility was that big. Never did I think that water ran with such an amazing speed.

I went out and tried to mount my ship, thinking that it would be easier to steer this way. I found two cables on its sides that were linked to both ends of the kayak. I grabbed onto them to gain more balance. The facility did not have any roofing. I could see the pathway that led outside the City, with a few cars plying the route. (Have I mentioned that there were very few people who wished to leave the City?) I knew that the facility should close at some point to form a tunnel. I tried to pilot my ship towards the edge. I tried to yell and ask the drivers for help. But the turbulent waters prevented me from doing so.

I finally reached the tunnel. It was impossible to get any help. I felt that my legs numbing with cold. I gave up on steering the kayak and instead mustered enough strength to keep myself from falling from it. I don’t know how long it took for me to see a man riding a ship similar to mine. He made use of his hands to go faster. He seemed more annoyed than frightened. I shouted something to him – I don’t remember what – but I’m sure I asked him to help me. He took a quick glance at me, and with an ironic smile on his face, he shook his head to say no and proceeded with his journey.

The hours rolled by until the tunnel finally split into two streams. My vessel took the one to the right. The water became more turbulent. I don’t recall how many hours I spent navigating through the rapids, waterfalls and violent currents. I was exhausted after trying to keep myself steady on my ship.

In the end, I reached a point where the water calmed down. A faint voice could be heard from a distance. It soon became more audible. It was saying over and over again, “Attention. Please watch your head. Hold on tight.”

I suddenly found myself in a dead-end. The vehicle stopped. The voice boomed more loudly. Without warning, a small doorway opened and I was forcibly sucked into it. I hit my head against the lintel and fell through what seemed to be a small waterfall that ended in a pool. Its water was warm and I couldn’t help but feel relieved. After travelling through an icy torrent for so many hours, I found the pool to be very delightful.

There were other people with me. All had a doleful look on their faces. I first thought that it was because they, too, had to go through the same terrible journey that I did. But the terrifying gloominess of their eyes made me suspect that there was more to this than meets the eye.

Unlike me, they seemed to know what to do. They all drove their transporters towards the edge of the pool, where people garbed in white helped them to disembark. I did the same thing. They then led us to a great hall that, as expected, looked like the locker rooms of the municipal swimming pool. There were windows at the back of the hall. I fell in line as did the rest. When it was my turn to go, I tried to explain my situation in hopes of finding some answers. The woman behind the window flashed me a friendly smile but paid no attention to what I was saying. She gave me a cloth bag full of toiletries, a shirt, a pair of trousers and shoes, asking, “Medium, right?” She gave me a key and told me to go straight.

I did so, confused. We were sorted into small groups on the basis of gender, but it remained a mystery why we were twelve women in my group, while there were groups that were bigger, and there were those that only had around two.

I recognized one of them to be the woman who was shouting for help on the bridge. I approached her and smothered her with a barrage of questions. Where are we? Why did they bring us here? Who are these people? What do they want from us? Her answer left me dumbfounded.

«We have been transferred to a secondary city.»

«But why?»

«Why? Because they need us there... Either that, or that we have become a cumbersome lot…»

Thousands of ideas were swirling inside my head as I tried to make sense of the situation.

«I can see that you’re new here. Don’t you know that the City maintains other cities in this Country? We don’t have anything to do with it, of course. The decision is carried out according to strict statistical analyses. According to what is in excess in the City, or to what the other cities require. The more outlanders there are, the less possibility we have to be transferred. Haven’t you ever wondered why our immigration laws are very lenient?»

«But can we go back to the City whenever we wish to?»

«Yes, but only for a short time and not until you have begun a new life in the new city, and living in any other place has become impossible for you. Then shall you receive your permit to visit the City. Look, other cities are not as interesting. If it weren’t for the transfers, long would they have been abandoned. Of course, no book on geography speaks of this. We do not want this to be made known outside the confines of the Country.»

The two of us put some dried clothes on and went out to explore our new city.

Everything was provided for. The key opened an apartment three times bigger than where I used to live before. It has a beautiful balcony overlooking the sea. Two days after settling in, I was given a work contract. A permanent position with the freedom to do my own researches as I please.

I quickly fit in. I made new friends. Ten years later, I obtained permission to visit the City as a tourist. Everything was new. I didn’t recognize anyone. I couldn’t even find Nell and was unsure if she had died or if she, too, had been transferred.

Despite the big changes, there was something in the air, in the aromas and flavors that reminded me of how nice it was to live there. It was something that was lacking in the place where I reside. I drove back with a heavy heart. Even though the years had gone by, even though my life now is very comfortable by any standard, I still shall forever miss living in my City.

©Safe Creative