The city of our dreams

We learnt magic spells from an ancient book and invoked a mystical cat with occult powers.

The cat laid a golden egg and from it the city of our dreams hatched.

We watched the genesis of the urban vision unfold from afar,
and when it was ready, we slotted into it.

Everything we had ever hoped for was there, along with some novel and ingenious features we never anticipated.

People came to visit and said - 'Aren't you lucky to live in such a marvellous town?'

We winked at one another, since we knew how much time and effort we had spent, nurturing our dream, whilst others determinedly dialogued with dreariness.

One day, we went to our favourite restaurant to have a meal and found it was closed.

A sign hung on the door saying, 'Sorry, but we've giving up the business'.

We went to the next street and everywhere, places were closing and people moving out.

'But where are you going?' we asked a man in desperation.

'Back to the land of seed-time. Cities like this cannot go on forever. All dreams must pass'.

Soon the city started shrinking and eventually the cat came and gobbled it up.

We felt betrayed and adrift. What now, what now, we cried, looking to the cat.

'Dream again' It purred, 'If you dare to explore some more.'

We looked at each other with deep thought - how could we bear to have our dreams snatched away again.

'There is another way', said the cat. 'Join your friends in the dreary town and light everything from within with the lanterns of your imagination.'

With that the cat started to fade and was gone.

We were left along but together, in the world of compromise and set about to ignite it ablaze.