The sun rose, bright as ever, over the modern city of Casa Pazza. Children ran about, wilder than ever.

On that unruly day, they were defying every law nature had ever made. In fact, the day marked 365 days of defiance.

Out of these I shall speak only of one, for if I were to elaborate, I'd have to go on forever.

A rowboat slowly rocked at a bay in a little stream. It wasn't merry- as one would expect it to be. It was almost as melancholic as a wilting lily, deprived of water and companionship. No one had ever even spared a glance to it in a while.

One particular young lady jumped up from where she stood. Her feet left the comfort of the soft, white clouds for exactly a fraction of a second.

And in response, another lady, much older, tried a little harder- to raise her hand a little higher. To reach her.

But the distance separating them was more than a little too much- and no amount of effort could alter it.

A young boy looked up at what was sky for him. His father looked up at what was sky for him. They looked at the clear blue, dotted with white and the sparkling blue, that seemed to flow- respectively.

'The sky sure is quite pretty today,' they both thought simultaneously.

'My father belongs with it,' the son thought.

'My son deserves the best,' the father thought.

Was it a paradox? Some kind of fault in time and space? No one knew.

In fact, no one even wanted to know.

The tall palms gently swayed, although there wasn't much wind. The creepers wound themselves tightly around the tall iron gates that protected the city from exploitation. Those gates were said to be closed. Forever, apparently.

The people didn't really have much limitations, though. People went to great lengths to learn and travelled in their own fashion- and knew more of the world than any of its inhabitants.

At least the oldest of them did. The second generation too, was at least half as wise.

The children who shared the ground with the palm trees lining the stream couldn't stop staring up. At the ever growing images of people, that seemed to be hanging from the clouds like neon bats, brighter than anything they'd ever seen. Thus, in excitement they ran. From one spot to another, only to find yet another- much better.

As for the older of the children, the adolescents, this had become mere routine. Looking for lost family in the sky, to which they'd successfully ascended, annually. Some of them dreamt of going up there, while others, wondered why those who were there went there.

And the ones on the sky, people of all ages, were the wisest. For experience is indeed, the best teacher. They'd had some first hand experience of the... change.

Water from the sky fell to the earth as rain. And the earth- it tried to reach up to the sky as a mountain. 

Water wins. Land loses. 

And maybe one fine day- the final day- would witness both the earth and the heavens meet their match in the dihydrogen monoxide bond.

The theory of tectonic plates... is just a myth in the eyes of the people.

At first the whole phenomenon was put down to something called 'madness' by the rest of the world. And then came the theory of the citizens having weaker brains, which couldn't piece together and interpret simple images. And then another about intelligence and senses so superior, it was beyond anyones understanding.

But on one day- the day I've been yearning to tell you about- the gates had been opened.

After about thirteen generations had passed in a similar manner, when the knowledge had dimmed down subsequently and all the truths had been reduced to myths by the people of Casa Pazza and the world had dismissed its very existence, the gates were discovered.

The changes that occurred over this period are for now, insignificant.

A single man had entered, with the gait of a fine gentleman and the air of someone intelligent. He looked to his left and right, realising something was off, but not really quite able to put his finger on it. The citizens had decided to hide themselves.

Casa Pazza was dead silent in a tense anticipation. He looked at the bright sun, a perfect circle like always, and spoke in a velvety voice, 'A haven, indeed.'

The word 'haven' stirred some commotion in the people. The youngest of the adolescents, a mere twelve in age, revealed himself.

At first the man stared, and then fainted. Most of the people rushed to his rescue, but stopped short when they realised what was wrong.

The man's feet weren't firmly planted to the ground, for he had been walking in a new, different sideward direction- basically floating. And it was only as he lay unconscious that he appeared like a person of the sky. He was from a whole other dimension of the universe, that even the oldest of the citizens was unaware of.

The people of the ground, being closer to him, managed to claim him before those of the sky.

In a while, the man then opened his eyes and stood up, his eyes meeting those of the people that seemed to be lying near him. He quickly stood up, expecting them to do the same. But then he realised, they were already standing. Ahead of him were a few other people.

'That explains the weird gate,' he thought.

The man walked a little towards the brighter, lighter and more friendly-looking by instinct. He then observed them.

To his right, there was some kind of a light- something that drew him. The people there seemed to be more like himself, only with a much more profound air of intelligence and superiority.

To his left, there was darkness. Not literally, but figuratively. It seemed like a mess, but radiated happiness. Along with it there seemed to be something else- like recklessness. He himself had absolutely no experience with it, and thus was curious. And the neglected air of the place thus intimidated and attracted him, just as powerfully.

In the short span in which he made these calculations, the people had grown restless and weary.

From his right came soft calls that were somehow loud to him, 'Join us if you'd like.'

And to his left, the creatures of the dark with some kind of dark, hidden intelligence seemed to claw at him. Their surprisingly kind smiles didn't match their hostile attitude.

In his dilemma, the man walked back to the gate, kicked it shut, jumped over it and stood outside, next to it. The people gathered near it as a mark of respect.

For a moment he wondered why his dimensions' gravity didn't cause it to come crashing down, but then let it go. Some things are better off left a mystery.

He left without a word, choosing neither of the groups.

As he left, he turned around one last time and took one last look at the people. His inner beasts, probably.

A little darkness and a little light never hurt anyone. A little intelligence and a little recklessness is harmless. And the balance alone is superior.

Betraying that balance is betraying oneself.

And maybe Casa Pazza being left undiscovered was part of the balance. Maybe the city was meant to be chucked out of the weighing scale itself.

However it is, the only thing that remained unchanged in the City was the circular sun. Always a perfect circle, always the correct degree of bright. Always the right position, right in the middle of the height dividing the people and ALWAYS out of reach. 

Maybe one day, the sun will lead the people and the discoverer to who they're meant to be.

Maybe the sun is sanity and something as ordinary as ordinariness.

Until then, I can't help but wonder what happened in those thirteen hundred years to cause so much of a difference between the citizens- to cause them from being bonded by blood to... whatever they are.