After the rain

Two stars

  I live in a city, a city of a thousand lights with a million colors, a city in a world with a billion people. The thousand flashing  lights in the night sky illuminate the darkness. Some are powered by solar energy, others are powered by fossil fuels.

  On a million faces all I see is the emptiness reflected in their eyes. A smooth but dull surface.

  The city is only illuminated at night because we only need light in the night.

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  I sat by the window plane, a pen to my temple, the wires connecting in my brain. The white desk by the window supported the overwhelming mass  of my body. The plain notebook sat there. I opened it up and wrote the fundamentals of demand and supply in it.

  The buildings in the distance overshadowed my humble apartment. The skyscrapers and their flashing lights, the clubs and their never ceasing noises, they all reverberated in the distance and shook the entire city. Including me.

  It was unavoidable, every single thing that happened that day, today.

  I through the window at the darkened sky. I saw the moon. But that night I saw stars, overshadowed by the neon lights of the metropolis.

  I drew a demand curve.

  I drew a supply curve.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  Pitter patter. Pitter patter.

  My dearest Len, tell me, what's the matter?

  I made more notes on the fundamentals of economics. I peered out of my window, the rain distorted the lights.

   'Look at that! Guys, Len failed his test! Look at this!'

  That was my new ringtone.

   One of Luke's  cronies was waving the tainted script in the air. The paper crumpled as the force of his fingers multiplied. The streaks of red were displayed publicly on the visualizer.

  The reason for my failure was my carelessness, I had missed out an entire section of the paper. I was now no longer the top student in economics. But now, who was the top student?

  That was the last lesson and the day had ended. I left the classroom promptly.

  'Daniel topped the class, I think.'

  'Yeah, didn't you see? His score is 92%, the Teacher said that it's the highest in the level.'

  And so I ask you, what am I now?

  Oh look, you've sought refuge in the private fountain, in the very heart of this pristine institution. What are you going to do now? You've always worked hard for your pet subject. You've always cling to it like your first love. And now, you've lost her. If that isn't failure, then tell me, what is it?

  Daniel, where are you?

  The silence spreads itself across the space. I pulled myself back to reality. I looked up at the refraction of light in the rain. It was a mess, but I could see the two stars clearly.

  The abyss of memories pulled me back instantly.

  I saw my precious notebook lying in the fountain. The body of a young gentleman lying on a stone chair limply. There was a faceless boy yelling at him, and his soldiers guarded the gentleman. 

  'Luke! Look at that!'

  Luke stared at his cronies with an expressionaless face. 

  'Hey, aren't you impressed?' The boy's expression seemed to scream.

  He was more desperate that I was. His cronies, more desperate than he was. Oh how I pity him! At least I had a taste of individuality.

  I saw the world in black and white. But the sky was grey. I closed my eyes, too tired to deal with this never ceasing mess. When I got up, I found my notebook beside me, someone had fished it out of the fountain.

  I took my notebook and bag, then I scooted out of school. 

  I found Skye waiting outside the school gate. She saw me and glided towards me. Her shining eyes were brighter than the sun.

  'Have you seen Daniel?'

  'He went home with Jenni,' she pointed in the direction of the train station.

  Jenni? Why?

  'I'm waiting for Luke, see you Len!'

  On a thousand shiny surfaces, I saw a thousand more neon lights. I envisioned the respiration of plants. The greenhouse gasses emitted by the factories that seemed so far away.

  The world tells us to be a person of lasting impact. Think of the worlds greatest dictators, Hitler,  Stalin, the list goes on, but eventually, even history itself fades into a distant memory. Are we still afraid of Hitler? No, why should we?

  I would fade into the depths of history, a small speck of paint on a canvas, a small water droplet amidst the large clouds in the vast sky.

  But Daniel, where was he when I needed him most?