A Glow in the Dark
The glowble short story.
Imagine you're in a city you've never seen before. It's a huge city that seems to
grow with every step you take.
You wander its streets to explore the area. Wherever you go, you begin to sense you're never alone. Billboards, signposts, shop windows, newsstands; it's as if information demands your attention on every corner. All around you is choice. At first you are invigorated by this new world, but soon, you begin to feel lost. Despite this you carry on walking, worn out and numbed by the abundance of detail around you.
Slowly, you notice that the sharp angles thrown by fluorescent streetlights have yielded to the darkness of a quiet alleyway. You stop and wonder how you got here but you don't seem to remember the path you took. It's calmer here and you welcome the moment, relax into it and take a deep breath. Something unexpected
catches your eye; an old house that seems out of its element - a lone timber house amidst the multitude of concrete structures. There is something that you like instantly about this place. It has character and somehow you cannot escape the feeling that you have found a special place. A place that is worth remembering. A place that you would like others to know about. With this thought, you reach inside your pocket and pull out of it a little marble. It glows faintly as its light pulses delicately, like a gentle heartbeat. You take this glowing marble and put it on the ground in front of the house. Satisfied, you move on.
The house remains in stillness for a while after you leave. Eventually, a woman arrives at the same corner where you stood before. She instantly spots the glimmering light of the marble you left behind and wants to have a closer look. She moves towards the marble's glow and then notices the old house. She looks at
it, smiling, cherishing its beauty. She then stoops down, picks up the marble, observes it and sees on it a fingerprint; your fingerprint. It tells her a little bit about you, but just as much as you've wanted to share; who you are, where you came from and why you left the marble behind. The woman looks up, distracted
suddenly as the door of the house opens. An old man steps outside. He seems to be the owner of the house, and his face betrays weariness. The old man and the woman have a chat. As the woman takes her leave, she hands over a sack to the owner. Surprised by this sudden gift, the man opens the sack, curious as to what
he may find. As he turns the sack to claim what is inside, his face brightens as a stream of glowing marbles pours out. As soon as these marbles hit the ground, they merge with the marble on the street. As they converge, the new marble formed by them grows larger and its pulse becomes stronger. The glow intensifies
until the street is filled with a beautiful, vibrant light. A vivid color-changing pulse now thrives where only darkness had been before. The house that lay in the shadows is now shining in bright light, illuminated by the marble's glow. This is the tipping point.
Inevitably, the people on the main street notice the light. A few individuals begin to wander towards it, eager to find out what the strange and wondrous glow is about. More people follow. Soon the alleyway is filled with people who are attracted by the light.
Now you are at home. On your desk there is a glass sphere that looks like one of your marbles, only bigger. As you touch it, you connect to the marble you left behind. You see the old house, now shining in bright light, you see the street filled with people, amicably chatting with one another as they enjoy what they've come to see. The scene there bears no resemblance now to the dark alley you discovered. It is full of life now. It has changed. You have changed it. And it all started with a little glowing marble. A glowble.