City

Take in some symbolism from this second-person story. When tasked to write a second-person story for my schooling, this became the result.

You start a path in your hometown on a sunny day, with the white cotton candy clouds overhead in comfortable fashion. You enjoy comfortable backdrops to your daily life and today is no exception. You live in one of those gigantic sprawls of a city, the largest of your country, in fact. The skyscrapers tower overhead as you watch across the very dynamic landscape of the urban jungle. Yet you haven't a clue why you decided to trek out on this very day. Something enticed you to leave the serenity of your home and visit the outside world. What could it be that compelled you? Forced you outside without question of your own mind?

You take a look around. You're on a narrow street, but it's filled with a dynamic population that interchanges and interacts with each ticking motion of a clock. The cars and vans were packed tight in the skinny one-way street. Cars were parked on the sides, dormant until their owner picked them back up. Trying to unpark in this street would be fruitless, however, as the amount of room was sparse. Their horns sounding like bees as the agitated city of drivers was shown to you before your eyes. It was a hassle to travel no matter what in such a big city. Across the street, an Italian bistro was opening for business just as a postman arrived with a box. You assumed he had to park around the corner because of the dense traffic. You couldn't hear the exact conversation, but it seemed very stoic. They were both about business, the postman and store owner. Nobody in this city was very lighthearted on a Monday morning. What catches your eye next is the little shop to your right, which sold little antiques and collectables. In the window, you notice a shiny statue of an angel touching a grayed moon. A beautiful little relic, actually.

You find yourself a few streets down later, at the entrance of a small park. Despite the amount of dense buildings within the city, an occasional park was still able to be located. It was a tiny park with large black iron gates and a flowing fountain in the center. The fresh air tasted crisp, and the colors of the park plantlife seemed a vivid green, vibrant and full of life. The colors of this park just popped and appealed to the eyes, for even the brown wooden benches stood out to you! Walking over to the fountain and looking within leads to the discovery of quarters laying underneath the shallow water, with the occasional nickel and dime littered among them. All of them were wishes you assumed, wishful thinking by people you never have met. The thought of taking them for yourself crossed your mind, but that'd be a bad deed on your part, you concluded. Let people hold onto their hopes.

You arrived at the business side of town soon, where the buildings seemed taller than ever, and seeing someone with a suit wasn't uncommon, rather a normality. People rushed about hurriedly to the point you thought that they weren't actually in any rush to go anywhere at all! It seemed like they rushed just to fuel their own adrenaline and character. Amidst your admiration of the local sights, you accidentally bumped into one of the businesswoman of the area. Lucky for you, she didn't drop her coffee, and only dropped her books. Courteously, you scooped her books up and handed them to her before she was on her way. What you deduced in observance was her annoyance when you first bumped into her, and how quickly it faded into a friendly smile when you made up for your mistake. What should you take from that? Do people only smile in this city when it's at their benefit? Or did she show the self-control and maturity of an adult who knew to forgive?

Finally, you can't walk any longer. Your feet have slight burning sensations from almost hours of use within the cocoon of your shoes stepping across the concrete pavement of the city. Your body aches as well, and it's finally time to rest. Finally time to find a bench and just unwind on your day. You're at the pier of the city, overlooking the harbor that separates this section of the city from the other. The water is a vibrant blue, but is slow and calm, with little movement. You can see a buoy painted in white, decorated with red stripes, floating aimlessly out a ways into the harbor. It's sentient red light eyed you carefully as you enjoyed your bench sitting. The sunlight basked on you, the seagulls calling around the harbor while flying around on their own devices. This city is your home, the place where you can see thousands of different people in one day and then reflect on in the comfort of an outdoor bench. Much more enticing and mind-jogging than a day on your couch indoors. Serenity is outside, and outside is home.