Perched atop the cliffs. I watched the city approach. Its sprawling mass of stone and metal crawled across the desert, propelled by countless mechanical legs. Plumes of steam rose from its engines as the city moved inexorably closer. I had never been this close to The Wandering City before.
My name is Cassia. I was born in this nomadic city seventeen years ago. We are always traveling, never staying in one place for long. For generations, our city has roamed the world, carrying us from deserts to jungles and everywhere in between. The Council decides our route, but home is wherever we go.
As the city reached the cliffs, its metal legs lifted it up and over the obstacle. I felt the deck tilt as we began to ascend. Cables screeched as they winched taut, keeping the city’s sections connected. Soon we were high above the desert, taking in the view.
My friend Jano joined me. "Quite a sight, eh Cass?"
"It never gets old," I replied.
He laughed. "Well enjoy the view. You know it won't be long before we're off chasing the horizon again."
We strolled through the busy streets as vendors packed away their market stalls, preparing to move on. Life here was always shifting, nothing stayed the same for long. Even my own neighborhood changed location every couple weeks when the Council reconfigured the city's layout.
I didn’t mind the constant change. I loved gazing out my window as new scenery rolled by. It gave me inspiration for filling my sketchbooks.
When evening came, all citizens strapped in for travel. Jano and I hurried back to my place and buckled our safety harnesses. With a lurch and a bass groan, the city heaved itself up and began striding forward.
The desert fell away below us. I imagined the nomads down there gazing up in awe at our mobile metropolis passing overhead. Encounters with outsiders were rare. To them, we must seem like something from a dream.
For days we marched onward. The ride was smooth at times, gently rocking me to sleep. Other times the jolting and rattling made my teeth chatter. My wall of windows provided a panoramic view of the changing terrain. I sketched what landscapes I could, though most sped by too fast to capture.
One morning I heard shouts from below. Peering out, I saw people running to the front of the city. A current of eagerness and motion charged the atmosphere.
Jano burst in. “You’ve got to see this, Cass! There's something massive ahead!”
We raced to the bow and pushed through the gathering crowd. Rising up from the plains was an enormous stone monument, carved into freakish shapes. Rows of colossal statues flanked its sides.
We were approaching a gigantic ancient ruin that dwarfed even our city. The Council ordered us to a halt at a safe distance. For the first time in memory, the engines fell silent. We nomads were treated to a view no one had seen in centuries.
Excavation crews immediately began setting up around the mountain's base. Scholars readied their equipment eagerly, thrilled at the chance to study this site before we inevitably moved on.
Most people were excited by the unplanned stop, but some were unhappy. Angry voices rose up, rebelling against the Council for deciding this unilateral halt.
Their dissent worried me. We derived our strength from unity, not division. To distract myself, I turned back to sketching the incredible view. What forgotten civilization had built this place? What tales were etched in its weathered stone? My imagination wandered freely as I tried to capture the monument's essence on paper.
When the Council announced our departure date, more protests broke out. Some demanded we stay and keep studying the ruins. But the unrest quieted once the engines re-engaged, drowning out the objections.
The ancient monument gradually receded into the distance as we rumbled onwards. Soon things returned to normal. My neighborhood rotated to a new part of the city, and out my window the landscape morphed from hills to thick jungle.
In its endless motion, our city reminds us that nothing is permanent. Not places, nor people, nor good times or bad. But wherever the road leads us, we travelers move forward together, always seeking the horizon.