I want you to do something for me. I want you to concentrate really hard before this moment evaporates into another missed chance. I don’t want to spend time thinking about how if we did this better then we wouldn’t have drifted off, we wouldn’t have wasted this time and squandered it like those other people did. People spent too long philosophising and talking. Damn, I hated all that talking. You know how the older ones used to meet in the cellar? Yeah, I know you liked them and all, I liked them too but you know what they are doing now? Well, I’ll tell you. They are still in that cellar. They are still talking. I can hear them chattering. Their brown, rotting teeth are gnashing and their wrinkled brows are sweating. The really old one, the one that you wanted to be your granddad, he’s standing up right now, his fat belly sticking out and he’s saying the same things over and over again. That plan with the tunnels. The other plan using the roof tops. The roof tops, how I laughed at that one. It would never have worked, we wouldn’t have stood a chance….You know that story I told you about the park? The one where everyone has space and air and there aren’t bricks and high-rises? Yeah, well they still are going to be talking about that place for a long time and we’re going to be there…. No, I’m not messing you around, I promise. …. Not too long now… but this is what I’m saying, listen to me….don’t worry I’m talking funny and I know I shouldn’t, it’s the last thing you need right now and it’s probably the last thing I need too. Let’s not allow it to slide because these times don’t come often and I don’t want you to miss this…... No, I’m not, I just think you should listen… yes it is ok to feel scared because that’s what makes moments like these happen… these are the times when we can really do these things…. Have you got that feeling? ‘Butterflies’ we used to call it….. Never mind, you’ll learn soon enough.
No, no one else is going to hear us, its fine. Now, you see these buildings? Fuck, what am I saying? Of course you can, that’s all we can see now. Well, I want you to look in between them. What do you see?.... no, you need to see more than that, this is why you need to concentrate. Please….. Yes, kids hanging in the shadows, we all see them…. No, I don’t know what they want and I don’t know what will become of them either. It scares me to death I tell you…. Ok, so look further…. Yes you can, you can see further… the man in the window? He’s not our friend that’s for sure. … Well, he’s a sniper. He stops people coming and going. Like a guard but worse…. Yes, worse than the guards. I… I know you don’t like them darling, I know you don’t… No one does. Ok so can you see beyond them?... yes? Ok, can you see where the dark starts to fade? Can you see right between the buildings all the way to the end?....the end? What do you mean, ‘what do you mean?’ I mean the end. Jesus, you don’t even know… how could you know I suppose. The end is where things don’t look like this… the end is where you can breath. I want you to breath right now. Deep…. Deeper, I want you to breath in that dirty, filthy, stagnant air one more time because I promise you that we shall drink in this poison no more. Look at me… look at me. You see these lines across my face? You know how old I am?.... Yes, I know I’m old but I’m not as old as these lines would have you believe. This face is a lie. We’re going somewhere so much better than you’ve ever known…. No. No-one else is coming. At least not now. Ok, it’s time for us to start. We’re going to head down here, we’re not going to look at anyone and when I say, when I say whatever the hell I’m going to say, we’re going to run like we’ve never run before. We’re going to run until we are blind from blood or freedom. Do you understand me? Of course you don’t… there’s no way on this filthy earth that you could understand what I’m saying to you. Ok, let’s go….. Slowly, we don’t have to run yet…. I know it’s scary but believe me that this is going to be something that will change the world… it will change our world. It will change the world as you know it and it will bring back the world as I knew it. God, I hope it’s the same. I hope that things still have colour and light. I hope the wind feels the same. I don’t even know what the season will be. That’s so crazy. I told them to stop but they wouldn’t. I told them that we needed some room, some space to call our own but they kept on. I think the drills made their minds turn. Ok, you see this woman on the left? She’s a bad woman. We don’t talk to her and we don’t look at her. There won’t be any like her where we are going ok. I promise you that. OK keep walking and mind out for the glass. Things are going to start getting tighter along here, the walls get even closer, even closer than they do by our place at the bad end of town. Town. That used to be a good word. I’ll show you a real town one day, when we work out where the hell we are. I don’t even know anymore. I don’t know how you’re going to take it. I mean, fuck. The world is huge. ‘Huge,’ you don’t even know what that word means do you?..... No, I’m fine. Are you ok? Listen, if I seem like I’m talking kinda crazy then don’t worry. Sometimes, when things like this happen you kinda get strange you know? Remember when I was away for a long time, that’s because I tried something like this but it didn’t work. I got so carried away by my own aspirations that I forgot who I was, but this time will be different. Ok, you have to stay real close to me now, I suppose you can’t help it, just stay one step in front of me…. We’re going to go a bit faster now, ok? We need to speed this whole thing up or we’re never going to get out of here. Ok, we’re not too far now. Are your eyes starting to hurt?... yeah, mine too… what we used to do when I was young, what we used to do was squint a bit…. Squinting? Well you kinda screw your eyes up… like when the wardens come round and they shine those lights you know? What you do then……. Yes, yes that’s it. Ok, now we can keep going. Now you see that man, the man in the high rise? Don’t look at him like that you idiot. Come on. Think. Ok, well if he says anything, anything at all then you let go of me ok. I’m in control then. He will say something and I want you to know that whatever happens you have to keep going ok. Even if I fall or whatever I will meet you at the end ok. But I’ll find you, don’t look for me if something happens, just keep going, find somewhere to sit and let your eyes adjust to the light ok? Ok. Shit. Fuck. This is it we have to run now….. No, don’t make a sound…. I know it hurts but we have to keep going, I promise it won’t be long now…. Can you see how bright it is? Don’t be scared. We’re going to make it this time I just know we will. All things that start must finish at some point and this is our finishing line, do you hear me? This is where this whole stupid mess ends. We will reach the end of this and we will have our park.
