He stood up to get a better feel of the spring breeze as it passed.
The wind caressed his cheek, cold yet refreshing and invigorating. It was unlike anything the boy had ever felt. It passed by him and fluttered down the hill rustling flowers and grass. The boy opened his eyes, and was blinded by the brilliance of the sun! The splendor of the emerald grass! The vibrancy of the blue sky!
He took it all in before collapsing onto his back, wrapping the sun's warmth about him like a blanket. It was the epitome of a perfect day. The birds in trees down the hill chirped in agreement. Another gust of wind woke the boy, who fixed his baseball cap on his head and took off running. Today was no day to slumber in warmth, it was a day to run and bask the refreshing scent of spring. He ran and jumped his way down the hill to the tall trees.
The trees overshadowed a creek, whose waters made the most delightful sounds. Oh, how he wished that there was a creek where he lived! He looked into its crystal clear waters for only a moment before he ran off to find some leaves and sticks. He fashioned these into a boat, which he floated down the stream. He sailed with it, suddenly he was the captain of a mighty ship! They stopped at a sand dune to go digging for treasure and battling monstrous crabs, just like in the movies.
Another gust of wind struck the sail of the ship and took it spiraling away. The boy snapped out of his fantasy, ran towards the boat but could not keep up. He ran faster and faster, trying to get to the boat, tear welling his eyes at the thought that he could not get to it. The birds stopped chirping, the sun stopped feeling warm and he could no longer make out the smell of flowers. It was all beginning to fade into the facade it had always been. The trees twisted and snapped, revealing the digital lines of code that they had hidden behind the masquerade.
It all snapped away in an instant. Grass replaced with cold hard steel, and the young boy was replaced by his older self, immobilized on a gray couch. He was in his early 30's and missed the childhood the iron city had robbed him off. The man pulled the dreaming helmet off his head and threw it towards the ground with a loud clunk.
He stood up, bones cracking, and walked towards the digital window that adorned the eastern wall of his barren gray apartment. The digital screen flashed "open" to reveal a sprawling city. Silver spires stretched skyward, cynically proving that man can never have enough. Yet, the sky these buildings scrapped against was not one that was ever blue. It had been turned a murky gray long ago. The skies were only blue in the digital dreams that entertained the masses.
Somewhere within these iron spires lived millions of people, and yet he had never met them. He could count on half of his hand the number of people he currently knew and spoke to. Most people were content to stay in their iron cubes, drinking up digital happiness rather than experiencing real happiness.
Henry, the man who stood at this digital portrait, was beginning to understand that he was living half a life. He was realizing that somewhere beyond these walls of steel and iron was a world long forgotten. A world of happiness, and blue skies. But getting there would be too hard, he thought, as he walked away from the screen. Meeting people would be too difficult, for he knew nothing of those other people, and that scared Henry. Besides, the 2.5 people he knew were nice enough to him.
"Why would I risk that?" chuckled Henry.
He picked up the helmet, placed it on his head, and began to dream once more. It was the same safe dream as before. Why brave anything else?
