Which One is Your Time?

Chapter X - Living Without Trees

    Misty asked him to go to the corner of the room while he looked nothing at there. But, before he could ask, suddenly the floor that he step into was shining. Round glass mirror suddenly covered him up like he was being in the glass tube. Lucas really amazed also confused what he should do next. Misty did not say anything and let him experience it by himself.

    “What do you want to wear, Mr. Whitlock?”

    Magery suddenly talked to him so he was surprised by this technology. How a computer knows his name?

    “Um… anything that common in here?” he said.

    “Alright. We will change your outfit as Ghiglea citizen.”

    Just in a few seconds, more lightning and some fast movements makes Lucas confused. He does not know how his clothes being released from his body. But, suddenly Magery put another clothes on him. A white shirt with unique design and silky like was made from plastic, slim-fit trousers that also same as the shirt and white boots that did not have any ties. Lucas looked himself at the tube mirror and he feel like an astronaut. Just missing the helmet.

    He walked out from the glass tube that slowly vanished. Misty raised her eyebrows and nodded, “You really like a Ghiglea citizen,” she commented. Lucas just smile with nervous.

    Misty then brought Lucas to go outside. Lucas really amazed with the high technology and it's really match with his imagination about the future world. But, everything in Ghiglea was in white. The buildings, the roads, and even the park benches were painted in white. Lucas feel that it looks like a city covered in snow. He cannot close his mouth when he saw a futuristic car just pass through him. No tires and it was really like an alien plate! The car was lifted about 10 cm from the road and works like a plane.

“The road is useless I thought. These cars do not touch the ground and it is really like a plane,” he said with frowning forehead.

“Don't get it wrong. The cars just work at the road. No road, the cars become useless,” Misty shook her head.

“Ah, it same as cable car method! The cable become the route, isn't it?” Lucas guessed.

“Yes, the method was from there. But, of course it has been modified with high-technology, so there's no need for a cable,” she answered. Lucas nodded and he keep looking around with surprised.

    But there's a thing that he cannot found in this futuristic city. Lucas cannot found a tree. Even Ghiglea has become a modern city, but not even a single tree has been planting. He was so curious so he tries to find it. But, after he saw through the whole city from a tower, he could not find it. No greens in Ghiglea.

    “Um, Misty? Why there's no tree in Ghiglea? I have tried to looking for some greens in this city, but I can't found it. Included grass...” Lucas asked in curious. He also cannot found grass from the house's yard. The yard still in white like porcelain floor.

    Misty did not answer and Lucas looked at her. He realized that her face turned to be sad. Lucas know that there's something hidden about the trees mystery. Misty then sighed a bit. She sat down at a bench of sky tower and her gaze look around the city.

    “Well, I know you must be curious about it... the fact is Ghiglea cannot grow a tree.”

    Lucas widened his eyes. How could a high-technology city like Ghiglea cannot grow a tree? He did not say anything and wait Misty to explain it to him.

    “We have been doing some researches about growing some greens. But as you know, Ghiglea was under Sororice so there's no sunlight or soil. The Bristol you have been living will got a massive disaster. So the effect is Bristol will sink and just left some people who will turned Bristol into Ghiglea as now. Ghiglea is an underwater city. That's the history. I don't know about how Sororice could become a city above us. Their techniques, methods really like an ancient time so we guessed that Sororice was a past of Bristol. The leftover of Bristol. It still an unsolved mystery,” Misty explained. Lucas more confused with her explanation.

“No sunlight? So what's about that?” Lucas pointed at the sun that bright so shine above them. Misty snorted.

“It's a giant lamp. We created a light so we could know when the day and night will turn. That giant lamp already set to become a moon at night. So, basically it was a hand-made sun,” Misty rolling her eyes.

“So, Ghiglea citizen never saw a real sun and moon?” Lucas asked again. Misty nodded.

“Just a few of us who already saw the real moon and sun. They are the elder of Ghiglea. The first human that created this city,” she replied.

    “And about the trees... the researches I have been told you before, actually we can grow trees but we need a tree sap for the element,” Misty continued.

    Lucas then remembered a tree sap from Similan trees at Sororice. His eyes widened and he quickly looked at Misty face.

“Did you mean Similan tree?” he asked quickly. Misty smile and nodded.

    “As I told you before, Sororice knew us once and they said we are the devil. Why they could know about us? Because some of scientists came to Sororice and took some tree sap to observe it. Of course Sororice never saw our style and they were curious. That's the beginning of the war between Sororice and Ghiglea.”

    “The tree sap become an element to create soil in Ghiglea. But we can't enter Sororice anymore as we know that the place where the Similan trees growing become a place where Sororice citizen always fishing. That also right in front of the gate of Ghiglea's gate,” she sighed again.

    Lucas stunned when he heard all of it. He was trapped into two worlds and he did not know how to come back to Bristol. Furthermore, both of the cities are hating each other so he cannot side to one of them. If Lucas can choose where he wants to live, of course he will pick Ghiglea the futuristic city. But, that will mean he cannot go to Sororice where there was a big possibility of his way to home.