Ghost Town

The  coffee shop entirely fades away.  We are left with a fog that encircles us. The fog dissipates slightly. Enough so that we can see ourselves standing in the middle of a street of a major city. Or what once was a major city. Something happened. I don’t know if it was a natural disaster, riots, or bombing, but one thing is for certain. This is not a lively, active, thriving city.  Trash cans are overturned contaminating the sidewalks and streets with garbage. The street lights that are working are either flickering or the glass is bashed in and the light bulbs are just hanging on by a thred. All the buildings are missing doors and windows. Some don’t even have roofs. The atmosphere of the city is quiet. Eerily quiet. “This is spooky.” Olivia states while viewing the ghost town. “Yeah, I think we should get off the streets. There could be roving gangs.” I tell her.  The first available place we find happens to be a school. Although the windows are cracked, it is slightly more in tact than some of the buildings we have passed. We walk inside, and there is some sort of nursery. No one is there , but you could tell this part was for young children. There are cardboard building blocks, big wheels, dolls and dollhouses, tiny desks and chairs. Little bins for art supplies. Mostly finger paints, glue and popsicle sticks. At the front of the classroom is a green chalk board with stick figures drawn on it. “What do you think happened?” Olivia asks. “ I don’t know. Could be almost anything.” I say. “ Do you think they were hurt?” Olivia asks worriedly. “It seems more like the whole town was abducted.” Olivia picks up a doll and starts to play with it. “I suppose stranger things have happened.” She says still looking at the doll. I nod and feel a shiver come over my body. Olivia notices me shivering. “I was feeling a little cold myself. Maybe we can put something over the window?”  There  is not much in sight. I figure I can at least put my cape over the opening as a temporary solution. As soon as I get to the window, something unusual catches my eye. There is a tree with rather exotic fruit growing off  it. The fruit is a bright blue. They look like a cross between a strawberry and a raspberry, but are about the size of a pomegranate. Perhaps bigger. I call Olivia to the window. “Have you ever seen anything like this?” I ask. “Never, they’re beautiful.” “What do you think they are?” “ I don’t know, but it looks like they are breathing.” “What ?” Olivia points to one of the fruits. I take a closer look. Indeed ,they are pulsating. I can not explain why, but I feel that they are beckoning us.