"The City! The phantom City."
"Yes. As usual. Every two weeks, at the same time."
"What do you see? From inside the town."
He frowns. "See? A hologram, invading the streets. Just an old ghost. A
molted skin - like the snakes out in the desert."
Your curiosity is aroused. You hardly know this man, but something about his dismissal of such a marvelous sight bothers you.
"Why aren't you excited?" you ask him.
A sad smile. "Should I be? It means nothing." He stands on his platform, looking down. "It doesn't bring me any closer to the City."
In his gaze, you see a hurt and a yearning that you recognize. You mistook his look when you first met him. He wasn't disappointed in you, but in himself. Maybe all reasons a
re the same when examined closely.
You walk home through a border town s
