Fan Fiction based on the city of Zobeide briefly mentioned in Invisible Cities of Italo Calvino.
Five men dreamed a dream: Etienne of France, Luciano of Italy, Kim Lu of China, Blair of England, and Tyrone of America. It was of a woman who was running away from them and she was naked. They pursued her through a city, the same city, although they took different routes through the city. But alas, the lady illuded them in their chase. They went searching for this city, the five of them, but never found it. However, they found each other, and they vowed to build the city they had envisioned. With one common entrance they built their pursuit through the city, saving one difference, where the men lost the lady in their route, the men made it insurpassible, hoping to trap the lady. They named the city, Zobidia.
For many years the woman never came, but others came having the same dream and went through the city making changes to the lay out: closing off roads and making new routes. Those who lived in this city hated it. It took them forever to get from one part to the other. To get from the business district to the market district, they had to drive all the way to the beginning of the city and then all the way down the road on which the market was on.
One day a certain man named Rashid came to the city. He had dreamed a similar dream as the rest but instead of adding to the maze of Zobidia, he had a different plan. An architect from the city of Dubai he listened to the dreams of the others and went through and made changes to the whole lay out of the city. Outside of the city he built himself a wonderful palace where in he lived and never left. He had servants go into the city to get his needs using the passes he had created.
One day the fateful day occurred. The lady appeared, and ran through their city. She took off down Tyrone's street first because of the throng of men blocking the other routes. Tyrone and those who changed or added to his route chased after the lady. Those whose roads she had not ran down, sulked down their forgotten lanes. One by one, the lady eluded man after man until she got to where Tyrone's dead end lie, but she slipped past his trap and he dropped in despair.
One by one as the others sulked down their separate streets the lady appeared out of some unknown portal, for which they gave chase. And one by one, each of them lost her. Dejected and bewildered Blair, Tyrone, Luciano, Etienne, and Kim Lu went to their highest towers to see if maybe she would be trapped somewhere in their part of the city, but looking east they saw Rashid's green palace, free from confines of the city, and there the lady running up the road. She ran up to the gates of his palace, and he stepped out of the gate house with a towel and a robe, which she happily took from him and she walked onto the grounds that lay before her. They were soon married, and Etienne, Blair, Kim Lu, Luciano, and Tyrone left the city, they had created. Rashid's changes to the city became even more prolific and soon the city floorished and was no longer the trap it had been.
Five men dreamed a dream: Etienne of France, Luciano of Italy, Kim Lu of China, Blair of England, and Tyrone of America. It was of a woman who was running away from them and she was naked. They pursued her through a city, the same city, although they took different routes through the city. But alas, the lady illuded them in their chase. They went searching for this city, the five of them, but never found it. However, they found each other, and they vowed to build the city they had envisioned. With one common entrance they built their pursuit through the city, saving one difference, where the men lost the lady in their route, the men made it insurpassible, hoping to trap the lady. They named the city, Zobidia.
For many years the woman never came, but others came having the same dream and went through the city making changes to the lay out: closing off roads and making new routes. Those who lived in this city hated it. It took them forever to get from one part to the other. To get from the business district to the market district, they had to drive all the way to the beginning of the city and then all the way down the road on which the market was on.
One day a certain man named Rashid came to the city. He had dreamed a similar dream as the rest but instead of adding to the maze of Zobidia, he had a different plan. An architect from the city of Dubai he listened to the dreams of the others and went through and made changes to the whole lay out of the city. Outside of the city he built himself a wonderful palace where in he lived and never left. He had servants go into the city to get his needs using the passes he had created.
One day the fateful day occurred. The lady appeared, and ran through their city. She took off down Tyrone's street first because of the throng of men blocking the other routes. Tyrone and those who changed or added to his route chased after the lady. Those whose roads she had not ran down, sulked down their forgotten lanes. One by one, the lady eluded man after man until she got to where Tyrone's dead end lie, but she slipped past his trap and he dropped in despair.
One by one as the others sulked down their separate streets the lady appeared out of some unknown portal, for which they gave chase. And one by one, each of them lost her. Dejected and bewildered Blair, Tyrone, Luciano, Etienne, and Kim Lu went to their highest towers to see if maybe she would be trapped somewhere in their part of the city, but looking east they saw Rashid's green palace, free from confines of the city, and there the lady running up the road. She ran up to the gates of his palace, and he stepped out of the gate house with a towel and a robe, which she happily took from him and she walked onto the grounds that lay before her. They were soon married, and Etienne, Blair, Kim Lu, Luciano, and Tyrone left the city, they had created. Rashid's changes to the city became even more prolific and soon the city floorished and was no longer the trap it had been.
