Decaying City

The manhole opened and a child came out. The child sniffed the surface air and was disappointed that it was no different from the sewers. The alleyway was also disappointing; grimy walls of brick and concrete. Garbage was everywhere. There were even homeless people, sleeping in shelters, made out of cardboard and plastic bags.

The child looked up and saw tall skyscrapers, the lights penetrating the night sky. The child felt dwarfed by the size. The skyscrapers gave off an authoritarian feel that the child never felt before.

The child steps out of the alleyway. The street was bustling, with people walking by and neon signs of shops shining bright. The different sounds and smells of the street assaulted the child's senses. These feelings were all foreign to them and they felt the anxiety and stress building up. Should it walk among the people? The child was thinking it over. They stood out from the rest of the crowd. Because it was barefoot and wearing a blanket as a form of clothing.

Then again. There were a few people who looked like they came out of sewers themselves. So the child made up its mind to step out and walk among the people.

They entered this new alien world. The people didn't mind the child much. Some gave looks of pity others disgust. 

There were all types of people; each one unique and strange. There were also unique structures; Skyscrapers that were built on top of each other. Buildings that looked like they were built from garbage. Buildings that looked like ruins. Tall ones that were made of glass and steel that lit up. Others were made of concrete that looks rugged and harsh.

There were advertisements everywhere. In every corner, nook, and cranny. From to top to bottom and on sides of the buildings. Most of them were digital; with bright colorful lights that should have made people blind.

As it explored the city. The child felt dizzy. All of its senses were activated and made it feel sick.

The child went to the city to find a better life. Away from the sewers; dark and cold. The smell of dirty water and the thick air inside was obviously no place for a child.

But the city was somehow worst. They felt isolated and alien. It didn't understand how it could feel so lively dead at the same time. How it felt new and innovative but had a crumbling infrastructure and a populace doing an endless routine. The child walks over to a manhole and entered it.