One step forward
Two steps back
Rewind history’s traceable tracks
A constant struggle to keep up
A clear path with debris falling
Trying to follow a sincere calling
No more obstacles, a set pace
Eyes focus on life’s face
Without thinking, one foot in front of the other
I can see my home at the end
With these footsteps I travel and find
Pave the way for all mankind
Moments in time veer off the path
Only to settle back on the right track
Follow the leader and you will see
No one is perfect, but you should try to be
The footprints left behind cannot be erased
Take cautious steps with feet bare, just in case
These steps I take to help heal the human race
Chapter 1
New Beginnings
Freedom is a relative term. There are really only degrees of it. But, I’d rather have one degree of freedom then none. Which is why my ancestors came to this beautiful country of America. They came for the freedom of their families such as myself. My name is Mark Dreyfus and you will remember that name for one reason: it will change the history books. I’m no superman, just a normal broke Samaritan that defied the laws governed by corruption. Yes, there are laws governed by police and nature. Ideally, cheat if you want to be cheated, steal if you want something stolen, and kill if you want to be killed. Realistically people don’t always treat others the way they want to be treated, but imagine the enlightenment if someone retaliated. An eye for an eye has always been my policy. Even if I don’t get the last laugh, God usually does. Bless him for that. He has blessed this country for the foundation of it in his name. But, we must progress cautiously because if you take it for granted, it will vanish before your eyes. And nothing could be more terrifying.
Freedom is the reason my family and I are here. Well, to be more specific financial freedom. We’ve been offered a large sum of money and a house custom made just for us. We had entered into a contest and won. The idea was to get people excited for a big change of lifestyle. No one had ever lived completely in the confines of one building with shops, malls, restaurants, or anything else you could dream of. Since New York City was so popular they decided to place the enormous building in the middle of Manhattan. The population was out of control. This was the solution to everyone’s problems because technically they still lived in New York City, so they were close to everything they wanted to be near. Whoever built this metropolis had named it Arcadia. But, its prospective citizens nicknamed it The Nest because no one could imagine paradise in Manhattan. However, it is large enough to hold five million people. As the largest building in the world, it is shaped appropriately like a star at the top because it is the closest thing to heaven on earth. At least that’s how it’s advertised. On the outside, the high rise is different colors of transparent glass. Some floors were completely clear and others were dark.
When we arrived at the parking lot of the Vertical City, my wife, Sophie starred up at the building in awe.
“Have you ever seen anything so amazing?” She said with curiosity.
“No, I really haven’t.” We smiled at each other.
I sat there starring at her in awe. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life, inside and out. Her eyes are deep-set hazel and her hair was black. When she walked, it was like she was floating with a heightened sense of things. She had it all figured out and I knew from the moment I met her that I would never stop investigating every inch of her heart and mind.
People always say we look alike. Thankfully, I’m about 5 feet taller, and my shoulders are larger than her entire body. Another one of our differences is my eyes are orangey-brown. All three of our children have her eyes.
“Baby, did you remember to bring my art supplies?” Sophie asked while hurriedly unloading our station wagon.
“Of course I did.” I stood scratching my head for a moment trying to remember where I put it. Digging through the mounds of crap we brought was no easy feat.
“Here it is!” I said as I loaded it onto a cart like you get at a hotel for your belongings. We were going to need 100 of them. I’m just glad we don’t have to bring furniture; they have completely furnished our home already.
After all the time we spent in our tiny apartment in Brooklyn, we were ready for a change. At first it was hard to get people to sign up to live in the Vertical City. People are afraid of change and the whole idea sounded a bit scary. An entire city within the walls of a building fixed with actual houses on the inside. Anything you needed was right there. No need to leave the building for anything. There are bars, clubs, movie theaters, malls, farms, offices, and churches. It was an oasis from the everyday grind. They had pioneered this entire place since the early 2,000’s. Now, 100 years later, people are stepping foot inside for the first time. We received a brochure in the mail about the whole thing and saw there was a contest to write an essay describing why we deserved to win a new home in the Vertical City. When my family and I were chosen, we were thrilled and a little nervous. Honestly, who could turn it down?
I had been teaching Philosophy at NYU for ten years and with the debt we acquired over that span of time, we had to do something drastic. Our savings account dwindled as we paid off all of our consumer debt. With three kids, I’m sure most of you feel my pain. The demands of our needs didn’t meet our paychecks. Of course, I never spoiled my kids. Not only cause we didn’t have the money, but also because I know how spoiled rotten they would turn if I did give them everything. How could they be grateful if they don’t learn how to be?
As we edged towards the enormous double doors, I saw an old enemy of mine pull into a handy-capped spot. This man was in no way handy-capped and his license plate read 1527 DAH. Which to me stood for Designated Ass Hole. He recognized me. Damnit.
“Hey Mark, wait for me!” Richard said. I would prefer to refer to him as Dick as people often use as a nickname for Richard. I’m sure he would handle that well.
“Hey Di-chard. I didn’t know you were going to be living here.” He didn’t notice the name change. He was slightly unaware of my dislike towards him; I’m not really sure why since my eye rolls were completely visible. Basically, he had worked with me at NYU and would steal any idea I had when it came to lesson plans or programs I created for students. After a few incidents of him getting all the credit from superiors, I socked him in the face. He took it like a man, and that gained him some respect in my eyes, but I still smile anytime I think of my fist hitting his face. He must have thought we were even and that I had forgiven him because I tolerate his presence, but the fact that he never apologized made him deserve his nickname: Dick.
“Yeah, I got accepted! Can you believe it?” He said as he threw all his belongings in a trash bag over his shoulder.
“No, I can’t.” I said, they selected teachers from the NYC area to come work at The Nest. A horrible decision on their part, I frowned.
We finally reached the doors and used our badges to gain access to the building. The security was impeccable and it had to be. If some psycho came through the doors with a bomb, the very foundation of this place would crumble. Immediately, we were funneled into a very large line of people waiting to get in. Thankfully, Dick was shoveled into a different line then us.
“Seriously, we have to wait in this?” My enthusiastic 12 years old, Sadie said. Her curly blond hair bounced as she talked. Since no one else in the family had blond or curly hair, she felt even more like an outcast than a normal pre-teen would.
Sophie stroked Sadie’s hair, “Patience is a virtue honey. Why don’t you play with the new Crystal you got for your birthday from Grandma and Grandpa?”
Sadie pulled out the Crystal from her book bag. It was the newest piece of technology to come from this era. It held a million times more data than a computer did when I was little. It could also speak to other Crystals within a five-mile radius and share data. In order to use it as a computer-like device, you attached leads to your head like headphones or suction cups. You could play an entire game using your mind’s images imprinted by the Crystal. There was no need for a screen. The Crystal projected all the images in your mind, from websites to video games. It was a revolutionary little piece of technology and took the place of old fashioned computers. It was also used to project television images and anything else you could possibly think of on the wall with highly crystallized images. All you had to do is prop the little mechanism into a machine and there you go, no need for screens ever again! I could kiss whoever invented it. My kid’s silence was sometimes very important to me.
“Excuse me sir, what is your last name?” A very rigid looking woman said to me as we waited.
“It’s Dreyfus.”
“Ok, you need to go into the rows labeled A-I.” She all but pushed us over to the new line.
Our youngest, Thomas, was riding inside the cart full of our life, “Faster daddy, faster!” He yelled.
“It’s too crowded, your gonna have to sit tight.” I said to him with disdain.
Hours had gone by until we finally reached the front.
“Hello Mr. Dreyfus, you will be in house number 8426. But, first we need you to sign these papers.” The woman blinked her long eyelashes pleasantly in my direction.
“Ok, I will look at it and sign it later.” People were beginning to push into my back because it was so crowded. It was organized chaos, but surely they could have planned a better entrance.
“No, you have to sign it now.” She stood in her suit with the authority of the president and I could feel my wife’s nerves shake.
“You must think I’m crazy to sign this without reading it.” I threw the papers back down and gave her the ‘you’ve got to be kidding me look’.
“You don’t have to sign it without reading it sir. There are rooms right over there that you and your family are welcome to read over it and then sign it. Afterward, you can get back in line and hand it in. But, you can not go up the lift until you do so.”
Our middle child stood there patiently crossing her legs, “Daddy?”
“Yes, Isabelle?”
“I have to go to the bathroom.” She twirled her brown hair in her fingers, while her lips made a pout.
“You’re going to have to wait.” And then I did something I regret. I signed the papers without reading it. I didn’t usually do such stupid things, but in the circumstances getting settled into our home was my only concern. It’s funny though I noticed most others making the same decision. When you’re tired and frustrated it’s amazing what you are willing to do.
We took our things and headed towards the lift that was placed in the opening courtyard. There were live trees and flowers in the middle, which made it feel like a garden. Benches stood next to a man-made tributary for people to relax. It was obvious the whole idea was to keep people feeling like they were in the outside world even if they were stuck in this building. It had all the intricacies as nature did, with animals being contained to segregated parts of the courtyard.
The lift was like an elevator, only much more secure. It moved along what seemed like a railroad or roller coaster track on the walls. There were so many of them in the building to help distribute crowds. We hit the button for floor 84 and held on to each other. When the doors opened, we couldn’t believe our eyes. The area was completely open and to our right was a row of buggies. Each buggy had a last name on it.
Thomas pointed, “Look The Dreyfus buggy!”
The buggies were meant to substitute cars. They also moved on a track along the floors and you could take them to any floor you wanted through a tunnel built on the sides of the building. The frame looked like a punch buggy from way back in the 1970’s. Our buggy was black and white with our ancestor’s coat of arms painted on each door side.
“Can you believe this? I didn’t know we were going to get our own transportation!” Sophie bounced in her chair like a child.
“This is going to be an adventure we will never forget.”
The navigation system greeted us kindly as we punched in the numbers to our new home. I didn’t even have to drive it. Once we arrived, the kids screamed with excitement at the site of their new home in our new neighborhood. It was brick with red shutters. There was natural light coming from the windows of the building and a cloud image reflected on the glass above us. We even had grass.
“Dad, do we each get our own room? Please, can we have our own rooms?” Sadie said.
“Honey, by the looks of that thing, there are going to be plenty of rooms.” We all exited the buggy and I placed my fingerprint on the lock and the door opened. The kids rushed in immediately, but Sophie and I starred at the arched doorway.
She grabbed my hand and looked at me, “Are you ready for this?”
My eyes bulged out of my head with an overwhelming feeling of wonder. Was this going to be a new beginning? Or would it leave me where I left off in a less than mediocre life with an amazing family at my side. The future is dependent on the past and this was our time to start from the beginning.
Silent Shadows
Slim silhouette’s sliver in the light.
While they disappear into the night.
Whispering their secrets onto the ground.
Some with a deceiving ferocious bite.
Look over your shoulder and be cautious for fright.
It follows every move with disdain and delight.
You cannot run, you cannot hide.
For it will reflect every true sight.
Fear not as it protects and wanders right.
The shadow guides as good intentions might.
Identical, with soft differences.
Find the one without a fight.
Follow the path that prepares for flight.
To space it flies as high as a kite.
Silent shadows speak the unspoken.
And will even come alive in the moonlight.
Posted by
Dianeism
1:23 PM
Even though sometimes I feel lonely, I'm never alone. That sounds creepy, but really it's comforting. I know I have people looking out for me above and know that my friends and family will always be there if I need them. To the people who don't have such a luxury I pray they will seek and find it. I haven't been blogging lately, mostly because I have been working on my books...notice the plural! I just started on book two! I spend a lot of time alone writing in this tiny little room. And it is hard sometimes to say no to doing this or that, but I am hoping that one day this will all pay off. I work best by myself and ever since I was little I have been emotionally independent, but I don't care who you are...everyone needs someone. Don't get me wrong...I love people and need to be around them, but I find the most peace in silence. But, every time I see my shadow, I know I'm not alone.
Emptiness
I look around at the passers by, smile and get nothing.
Desperately searching, waiting for something.
A blank stare.
People who don’t care.
The gravitation towards instant gratification.
A robot in motion.
Fulfilling it’s own notion.
With no regard for the rest.
You will definitely fail your test.
The satisfying of every urge.
The evil within yourself will emerge.
Neglecting to act.
Will be the death of you in fact.
Hello fallow.
Goodbye tomorrow.
Posted by
Dianeism
4:10 PM
It's an eerie thing to walk amongst strangers sometimes. People you will never get to know. Their stories will remain a mystery, which always makes me sad. I've noticed that as I've gotten older, the more and more people won't look you in the eye. I am guilty of this as well, but if we pretend that each other are not there, then we loose a very real connection with the world and each other. It is easy to label a stranger as a bad driver or a moody customer, but this makes them loose other titles that you don't know anything about. The moody customer may have recently been titled widower. If you think of everyone as being very complex, your connection will come to life. People are loosing a sense of responsibility to others. The responsibility to let someone get in front of them on the highway or if someone is being bullied to stop it from happening. If you take responsibility for yourself and others, you are linking the chains of change. You help someone and others follow suit. Bad behavior is contagious and so is good. The more we ignore each other, the more empty we become.
Sell Fish
It’s worth every penny to not be penniless.
Do whatever it takes, take whatever you can get.
Selling fish was his best bet.
Among the market, he charmed with his banter.
People flooded in with a canter.
He won’t do this, he won’t do that.
But, he will carry the fish until it breaks his back.
He juggled the fish in the air with a fake smile and cold scaly hands.
He gets mad when anyone ruins his plans.
It wasn’t just the money he craved, but the attention he was paid.
He would never stop selling fish because he doesn’t know how to be self-less.
The vendor across the street began to steal his thunder.
No longer did his fans reel in for hunger.
Now he’s broke and hooked into a blunder.
His head slumped down returning to his forgotten life with his tail tucked under.
Dianeisms
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