Daydream
(I wrote this short story in January 2023, but I forgot to publish it. Here it is now.)
When I have free time, I like to sneak past the fences and explore the hill behind my school. There’s a rock formation with holes in it like small caves, where I imagine small people live. I always bring a flashlight with me, to see if I see them, but I never do. Today is no exception. I climb to the top of the hill and lay down on the grass, looking up to the sky.
The tethers rise up from the skyline of Bastion, the last city on the surface, my home. Tied to the tethers are floating homes, shops, and entire neighbourhoods. Some are permanent, choosing to live above Bastion but tied to it. Others are temporary: they anchor themselves to the city while restocking or doing business, and then they let go and float away. But, by far, most are permanently floating in the sky, and most of them are a whole lot bigger.
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