4CW Rises from the Ashes

The sunlight cascades across the lake turning the sky every shade of pink, purple, and blue as the sun begins to hide behind the concrete jungle, highlighting the shapes of the high rise buildings with a burnt orange glow as the sun slowly descends down the horizon.

The one guarantee in life is that the Sun will rise, and if it rises then it is also true that it must depart.  Not necessarily at the same time each day, but no matter on the time it will bring to life the sundial plaza and also will make it unusable as it sets.

The sundial standing tall is known as a equatorial sundial and consists of two perpendicular semi-circles and a thin, vertical rod, known as a gnomon, which casts a shadow on the marked semicircle to keep time, resting on a golden patina. 

As time passes through history, this geometric shape is as accurate now as it would have been during the Renaissance, a shape set to stand the test of time, like I stand here now standing the test of time.  Feeling like a relic within young man’s deceitful world and yet my time on this earth has been shorter than most around me.  Is it right that I have returned…? Was this the true destination that my path was leading me or merely yet another resting point on my journey…?

The feel in the air all around the city changes, exciting all the senses and a distinctive fresh smell tantalizing the nose hairs with every breath that can never be named out loud but once inhaled, one shall know that nightfall is upon them and there are heavy clouds up above.

The Dodecagon shaped building is cast into darkness from the sheer magnitude and size of the wall of buildings between it and the quickly fading sun, the shadow cast from the buildings growing larger and spreading making it possible for the darkness to once again take hold of land. As the sun descends further, the last man made structure to remain in contact with the light is the top of Sears Tower which seems to magnify the last of the rays before it too is plunged into the forthcoming darkness.

As light gives birth to life within the city itself, the darkness gives life to the 12 sided Adler Planetarium opening its doors for its after dark experience.  To the south of the planetarium lies a stone installation sculpture made up of 60 stone blocks laid out in the formation of a spiral galaxy made up of stones of different colours and origins.  Each ring of stones set slightly higher than the one inside it, creating an amphitheater-like arrangement creating the perfect resting point to admire the views over lake Michigan and the superior exterior architecture of the Adler itself.

These stones on which I stand upon are purposely malleable and mobile so they may be arranged into many shapes for any desired effect have been laid in a way that it mimics that of our very own Milky Way galaxy.  The stones they used designed to mirror that of society, symbolizing the many different races, ethnicities and belief systems of the people.  Everything designed with a purpose to bring people together, here in the so called America’s Courtyard.

The large frame of Belly, draped in a long dark hooded cloak stands tall on the centre stone of sculpture, his pale face peering out from the darkness inside his long draping hood, staring out in front of him as he moves slowly clockwise, taking care to remain on the centre stone, absorbing his surroundings in the first moments of darkness after sunset.
This modern structure designed to emulate that of Stonehenge and other ancient monuments, laid out on the ground so that at the Summer and Winter solstices, the Sun’s rising and setting points align perfectly at designated markers.

Yet emulation is all this can ever achieve… Fitting I guess that I stand here now, as 4CW has once again risen from the ashes, not long after the dirt had settled upon its own grave… And here we are now, as the federation is dragged bagged into the land of the living like a phoenix rising from the ashes.  The place I once called home is under a new leadership, yet it is not new as it tries to emulate the success of its past years, as the cast of misfits within in the company itself are also trying to break free from the shadow that chases them, but once free, the sun will always rise again and the shadow will be once gain behind them, chasing them, reminding them that they cannot escape their past.. they cannot break free

Reaching up to his face, Belly slowly lowers his hood that obscures his view allowing him to see the sun finally disappearing and the orange flow vanishing into obscurity for another day and shadow slowly becoming night. His slow circling stops as he looks across Burnham Park Harbor towards Soldier Field standing proud, also still very much alive with life.  A constant flow of headlights from cars and trucks going to and from the stadium make what should be a peaceful night feel like a small pocket of daylight surrounding the arena.

Whether it be trying to emulate the success of a partner or that of their own flesh and blood, they all think this will be their launching pad to breaking free, yet what they need to realize is no matter how much you run away, you can never escape the shadow.  The only way to truly be free is to accept who you are, and embrace the darkness within and accept the shadow as a part of you.

Belly brakes his fixed glare and once again looks down at the sculpture below his feet as a look of worry crosses his face, his breathing starts to become more erratic as his eyes widen and glaze over as if he is looking beyond the sculpture and into his own little world inside his head.  What is a matter of mere minutes yet feels like hours pass without him breaking his stare, just staring down towards the ground.  A little shake of his head and fast repetitive blinking brings him back around to reality as he once again looks up to the view of Soldier Field ahead of him.

Emulation… Is that why my path brought me back here, am I trying to emulate a life once lived… A man should forge his own destiny yet since I agreed to return I cannot help the feeling that the darkness is slipping away. A look of excitement starts to take a hold of Belly as a slight smile creeps onto his face, his lips widening and his cheeks bulging.

Is this why I am here… To reincarnate myself once again… To accept that I cannot change my destiny no matter how much I may fight it, just like it is guaranteed that the sun will rise again in the morning, it cannot change its destiny to rise and fall and neither can I.  I had been looking at my return as a curse and a form of emulation of my past life, but it is not, my path has brought me here to forge a different path, one that marches through the ranks of 4CW victorious…  But victorious in what degree is the question for there are many forms of victory..

The smile on Belly’s face continues to grow as if he has seen something old in a different light for the first time and finally understanding why he has been brought back to the place he once avoided.  He continues to stare towards the towering city of Chicago, looking beyond Soldier Field, the smile remaining a constant fixture on his face as he reaches his arm up and unclipping the cloak from around his neck, the dark blackened cloak falls to the floor, sliding from the stone as it settles on the grass below, as Belly step off his stone perch and begins to walk away, leaving the cloak behind