Exploring The City 6

Immediately, the barrier we’re dropped into somewhat resembles the Central Station Sanctuary in the housing arrangements, except there are no ramshackle buildings to be seen. Tents stretch across the garden, dotting the beautiful landscape with miserable poverty. My heart breaks as I observe the inhabitants of the barrier.

Wearing rags, clearly under-fed, sunken cheeks and hollow eyes, the people milling about the area we’re in, are in a sorry state. “I guess this is another situation about the same as the sanctuary?” Mia theorises to our guild. “Could be. We should ask around and see if that is the case. Things might be a bit different around here.” I reply.

We watch a man comfort a shaking woman, helping her inside one of the tents and passing in a blanket and some food for her. He zips up the tent, turning around and walking away, a grim expression on his face. I stroll towards him quickly, but slow enough to convey a lack of aggression. Or at least, that’s what I’m hoping to convey.

He looks up as we approach. “Who are you?” He asks, his tone careful and probing. “We’re travellers. We were wondering…” I look around and gesture to the dwellings of the people, as well as the people themselves. “Could you tell us what happened here?” I finish. “What hasn’t?” His bitter tone catches me off guard.

Then he sighs. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day. We’re slaves, all of us. There’s a gang that lives a few hundred metres that way.” He points out in the direction of the sea. “They live on the shore. They’re the ones who own us. They…don’t treat us well.” He says, sounding defeated. I give him a sympathetic smile. “How so?” I ask, hoping not to upset him.

He looks around a bit before he answers. “Would you mind if we sit down first? I don’t want them to see us.” He explains. “Sure.” He leads us to a spot between a few tents that’s hidden from immediate view of where the gang is supposed to be. The five of us sit in a circle, me and the other three members of my guild, and the tired ****. “I’m not sure where to start.” He confesses. “From the beginning.” I encourage gently.

He sighs again, looking at the ground as he recalls everything that he’s been through. “I was brought here as a **** about a year ago. The gang here is called The Legion. I was sold in the market in Darling Harbour, and they dragged me here to shove in with the rest of the people here. I couldn’t tell you how long some of the others have been here.”

He pauses and shakes his head while he gathers his breath, then continues. “The Legion are one of the most powerful groups of people around here. Some people challenge them, but it usually doesn’t end well. I think a couple of times, their leader has been killed and somebody else took over, but nothing ever changes besides that.”

“We’re their maids. Their cooks, their cleaners. We do everything they want us to do. Clean up after them, cook whatever they ask us to, make their beds, wash their clothes, sweep their floors, take out their garbage. A servant gig I could handle, but this? This is demeaning. They throw things at us, berate us constantly, make fun of us, sometimes they hurt us for the fun of it.”

“They don’t pay us of course, and they make us live in these tents. We aren’t allowed to have anything nice. We get scraps of food to eat and water that probably isn’t too clean to drink. We also sometimes build things they ask us to. An extension to their mansion, a pool, a spa, whatever they feel like shoving on us. Sometimes they won’t even use whatever we build them, and they’ll just ask us to tear it down again after it’s done.”

He shakes his head and I can see him close his eyes in resignation. “For all of that though, I’m still lucky here. I get to keep a shred of my dignity. A lot of the women here don’t get that. Whenever any of those awful people feel like it, they’ll take one or more of the women slaves they’re interested in and-” “Please don’t, I’ve heard enough about that.” I interrupt, holding up my hand.

He looks up at me, smiling sympathetically. “I understand. I do my best not to think about it too. It’s horrible.” How this man can be so understanding when he’s living in these conditions is beyond me. He really deserves better. They all do. “Thank you for your time.” I tell him, standing up. The others follow suit and I offer him my hand to help him stand.

He takes it and I pull him up. We shake hands in farewell. “A word of advice: if you plan on staying here and looking around, be careful. Don’t let them see you. A group of good looking women like you?” He says, shuddering. “It won’t be pretty what they’d do to you.” “Thank you for the warning. I hope things get better soon.” He smiles sadly, not believing they ever will. “Good luck.”

We leave the barrier as quickly as we can, somewhat relieved to be out of that place and back into the beauty of the mundane botanic gardens. I take solace in the pristine beauty of the botanic gardens as we collectively process everything that the man just told us. We sit down in a patch of grass, and I lean my head against Ivy’s shoulder. She puts her arm around me and massages me gently. Beside us, Mia and Skylar sit arm in arm, both a bit shell shocked. I don’t blame them, I feel the same myself.

“Maybe we should just head home now? We know enough about the situation of Sydney, it’s absolutely horrible here.” Mia suggests after a few minutes of silence. I look at her and shake my head. “We have one more place left to check out, we have to make sure we get every bit of information we can. We can rest when we get home. For now, we have to press on.”

“Fine but I want a cuddle pile when we get home! Today has been so depressing and I need some wholesomeness to cheer me up!” Mia pouts and I giggle despite the mood. “Of course honey. All the cuddles when we get home.” “I’m so glad I have you girls.” Skylar mumbles. Mia kisses her on the forehead.

We rest for a couple more minutes to recover our strength before getting up and heading over to the Sydney Opera House, our last stop for the day. The Opera House is right next to the botanic gardens, so our walk is relatively short. The four of us are silent as we approach the brilliant white sails of the oddly designed building. The tips of the sails loom overhead, imposing yet beautiful.

We stop at the bottom of the steps that lead up to the main entrance of the large construction. Trying to lighten the mood, I ask Ivy a question. “What do you think of mundane Sydney?” Her face immediately brightens as she takes in the view and remembers all the other beautiful sights that she’s seen today.

“It’s beautiful! The wonderful architecture, the stunning gardens and parks, all the different monuments around, it’s so pretty! I appreciate the opportunity to see the mundane world in all it’s glory!” She gushes, and I giggle. I kiss her gently, seeing Skylar and Mia smile out of the corner of my eye. “You’re adorable.”

She smiles brighter, and on impulse, she kisses Mia and Skylar. We get some raised eyebrows from passer-bys as they realise the kind of relationship that is going on between the four of us. “I love you Ivy.” Skylar says. “I love you too hun!” She replies happily. The mood between us lightened considerably, I raise my hand, ready to find out what’s on the abyssal side of the Opera House. Beside me, my girlfriends follow my lead.

In the few seconds after I enter the barrier, a couple of things happen. My girlfriends enter the barrier beside me. I scan the building quickly and notice that nothing has fundamentally changed about it, at least on the outside. It’s still the same famous monument I’ve known for my whole life. Then my eyes fall on the pair of men standing at the top of the stairs, at the same moment as they draw their swords and shout at us.

“Freeze! Who are you?”

The four of us stop in place immediately. I raise my hands up in a peaceful gesture. “We’re just travellers. We stumbled here by accident. We mean no harm.” I call out, doing my best to calm the situation. The two men descend the stairs quickly towards us. “We’ll be going now. We’re sorry for bothering you.” I say, raising my hand and exiting the barrier.