Yana Sokalski

Garold

/ 2024

In an instant, all the inhabitants of the unknown city of N lost their sight and hearing. Stranded in their own city, they cried out for help. The heavens heard them — and on a forgotten poultry farm, Harold appeared: a strange messenger of whom no one knew anything. One city dweller, discovering the peculiar being, brought him to a laboratory.

Ah, the Laboratory! A magnificent place where townsfolk voluntarily surrendered themselves to scientists, hoping to be entirely freed from thought and will. Here, they could drown their "selves" and emerge unburdened by the troubles of reason or the need to make life decisions — no difficult choices, no responsibility, no risk of disappointment. And, above all, no need to truly see or hear the world around them.

But instead of the usual oblivion, Harold brought the residents a terrifying sensation — their own opinions. They suddenly felt that they, too, could change something! It frightened them, but their trust in the unearthly being helped them overcome their fear and find liberation. Under the influence of these outrageous ideas, the captives left the Laboratory, and as if shedding a grim veil, they transformed into marvelous plants, each unique and incredible. The city blossomed, but now its greenery had no order, no unified direction — everyone walked their own path, creating a new, absurd garden of freedom.

As for Harold, having completed his mysterious mission, he silently returned to the poultry farm. As he departed, he waved either a wing or a hand — no one ever figured it out. But the City, having shed its old chains, flourished with new roots and began living a life where everyone was their own master… much to their endless horror.

The story of the city of N is a parable in which each character takes responsibility for their emotions and choices, while reliance on external sources of support only deepens the sense of unfreedom that cannot be broken from the outside.