Chapter 06: Cities and Eyes 04

In this city, eyes linger everywhere. In the dark or during the golden light, it appears that the walls of the houses are composed solely of eye peepers. Eyes follow the gaze of those who gaze back.

City people wait for a glimpse of the city. What exactly is a city? Is it a place where people grow and live happily? Is a city a place where beautiful flowers bloom, where they grow the brightest flowers?

Can an archer really see a bird from afar? Are the birds in the heavens really there, or are we being deceived into believing that all things in the universe are connected? If a tree grows, then how do its roots get planted? Does a man not need to cut a plant to survive, or does he need to wait for it to die in order to feed himself? If the stars are not really in the sky, how do we speak of them? These thoughts led me to a place which is called the city. I was curious about the dreams of others.

The city is made up of many places. Each place possesses one soul. There is the flower garden where the flowers are eyes and those eyes were all different colours. In the heart of this city, where we were trying to sight the birds, I glimpsed the mind of another man.

It was not a powerful mind, but the man’s mind fascinated me. His mind was dark and mysterious, but I liked it and that is why I was there. Perhaps I should not have been there. Maybe I should not have stared back at the people in the city. If I had not been, would my eyes never have gazed in the direction of the mind of another? Would I not have lost sight of the eye? Would I not have believed that this world is the place where there are things, where we can see the birds, and where the eyes of the flowers look at those things?

Cities are used to hide people from others.