Tall, ominous-looking artificial trees lined some of the roads that led outside the city; the cities were dark. There seemed to be more safety in the open land where nasty stuff like storms and bandits existed; these were tiny storms that were living beings with intelligence. The cities were overcrowded, the guards protected the travelers from harm, and they lived in the trees, which were called guard houses. These artificial trees grew recently; the seedlings were planted through power and magic. When the trees finally matured, they appeared natural yet artificial; they changed over the seasons, growing old and dying centuries later. Guards had lived in the upper foliage that was exposed to the weather, which never bothered them; some lived in bubbles of air that kept them from the cold and heat of the seasons that were severe during specific years.

The guards weren’t uniform in their appearance; some looked like men in armor, there were ones with caps and neckties, and those wearing clothing like anyone else that traveled the roads. Most seemed like old men who sat up in the trees watching everyone go by and giving salutations if they were familiar with that person. There was something hidden in their eyes; what were their origins? Did they permanently reside in the trees?

Trees such as these gave light like lanterns during the night as guidance for people to find their way to their destinations. It was not that each leaf or trunk gave out light; the bubble-dwelling probably was the origin of the glow.

Robert J. Matsunaga