Travelogue
A warm breeze fills the air as you walk through the city of Esmeralda. You smell every spice and flavour as you walk through the stalls that line the market, the tight roads weave and wind in an endless maze. Esmeralda is described as the city of water, a mixture of canals and streets overlap and intersect like a broken spiderweb, roads and bridges that lead to nowhere, pathways that lead you in a complete circle. The centre of the city is tightly packed and full of life throughout the day, the streets under the constant glow of lamp light. The citizens of Esmeralda are spoilt for choice with rows of toy shops, tailors, pubs and more, all accessible by foot or boat. If one was to look up as they sailed down the soft flowing rivers their eyes would be caught by the great looming aqueduct the bridges between two mountains that hide the city from prying eyes.
At the heart of the city lies Esmeralda’s Cathedral, each of the archways that span the outer walls of the structure are inhabited by ancient deities carved from stone. Their eyes follow the crowds as they scale the steps of the building below. People flock from the outer rim of the city to walk the halls of this great structure. Harsh light bleeds through the stain glass windows like multicoloured ribbons. In the centre of the stone room there is a body of water that ripples in the wake of coins tossed by those seeking to speak to their gods. A large statue of a women draped in cloth and holding a dish filled with incense stands in the corner of the room, the light catches the smoke that waltzes across the air with a smell of frankincense. This place, now filled with people, will soon become abandoned as the citizens return home to eat dinner. Continuing onward through the cobbled streets, the crowds become less apparent. The light begins to fall behind the mountains, its soft orange glow catching the water and transforming it into liquid gold. There is a constant sound of water running everywhere you go. The inhabitants of Esmeralda have adapted and morphed their city until it has become almost seamless. Boats of all shapes and sizes glide past the tightly knit walls. Strings of lights hang in a criss-cross fashion like vines from a tree. Much like the labyrinth from tale of Icarus, there are few that can navigate the streets of Esmeralda and not find themselves lost. The further you walk the more you notice the shop windows, the endless lights and the sound of laughter that erupts from the open doors of a pub nearby.
As if by magic, after many hours of walking, you finally reach the outskirts of this beautiful town. The houses seem scarce, doted around the mountains contrasting the tightly packed city centre. A waterfall in the distance rages on through the night leading gallons of water down the hill side. This part on the city is much darker, the sweet exciting smells of the city centre are replaced by the smell of damp and decay. It is almost as if you can feel the water in the air. A thin layer of fog covers every surface. Dark alleyways filled with rubbish become home to the rats that escape from under drain covers. They scatter across the ground weaving in and out of the litter trying to find their next meal. It is almost as if you are being watched, the glowing eyes of unknown animals sit patiently in the corners of the street untouched by light. A rhythmic drop of water falls from a drain pipe covering the cobbled paths in layer of grime. Not a soul stirs all night. One by one window lights disappear leaving the winding roads lit by the faint glow of the lamp lights. The moonlight highlights the rooftops of the houses, the light blocked by the occasional creature skipping across the beams with ease. Although you have only caught a glimpse of the city you feel as if you want to stay longer and explore the endless pathways.
The city of Esmeralda is unknown to its neighbouring towns. It lies behind great mountains, and although it exists across a vast amount of space, it is completely self-dependent. From above the city looks as if it were created by a colony of ants, a mess of veins intersecting across a large mass of land. Before leaving the last thing you notice is a faint glow of light from a building in the distance. A baker begins his work, preparing for another days work. The smell is reminiscent of the beginning of your journey in the market stalls of Esmeralda. Standing at the last house of the city you see the shadows and a faint glow of light as the city of water sleeps on.
