The Cartographer

It had been three months since hed arrived. Coming from the suburbs of a small
English town, Tokyo held a new experience. And, wanting to truly grasp the ever-alive
city, he had developed the habit of riding the streets, almost exclusively by cover of night.
He had discovered that the city revealed much about herself in darkness. It was at this
time that lights fully shone, allowing the city herself to shine. Cycling, he watched the
ever-changing world move around him, filled with her inhabitants, each with a different
destination in mind. Despite the millions, rarely did he speak to any of them. The
language was one barrier, although it went further than that. However, one night, stopped
at traffic lights on his black racing machine, he was awoken from his dreamy exploration.
Hi, welcome! a voice from his left called. Looking up to see a young man with
two girls on his arms, he was slightly bewildered to begin with.
Ive been here for a while actually, he responded, chuckling slightly.
Ah, I see! Join us, friend?
In milliseconds, countless thoughts raced through his head, much faster than the
speed at which he rode. However, his response arrived succinctly--sure. With little to
lose and lots to learn, he pedalled towards the strangers, before dismounting. Joining the
group of eight, they continued meandering along the flat walkway, the lights of shop
window displays guiding their way. It wasnt long before their destination was found--a
bar nestled underneath a large railway bridge.
Locking his bike up, he soon caught up again with the group, which surrounded a
round table in one of the front windows. It was there that he started his exploration of the
individuals that he shared his company with. Most seemed to have uninteresting jobs,
primarily revolving around making money for others. A girl across the table peaked his
interest slightly more. He watched her dark hair ebb and flow as she turned her head.
Seemingly not as committed to conformity as the others, she wore clothes that could be
considered on the more alternative side of the fashion spectrum. Despite being wary of
any fashions (as a matter of principal), he couldnt help enjoying her form and wanting to
know more of what lay in her mind.
The drinks on the table continued disappearing, even if he wasnt particularly
drinking them. And with each extra glass, the volume of the voices grew louder. It
wasnt long before the speech of mixed Japanese and English had turned to excited
shouts. Getting up for a break (with the obligatory bathroom excuse), he wasnt
particularly surprised to observe that the shrieks that erupted from the table werent
bothering anyone. Rather, after just a few steps, he was unable to hear the voices of the
group, as all others in the establishment were equally loud.
On his return, the girl who had caught his attention earlier caught him. This of
course did not bother him, as it finally gave him the chance to begin to know her. Sitting
at the bar, drinks were ordered by her. Hers only lasted a minute or so, before a renewed
drink then sat in front of her. He rationalised this as being positive; his presence caused
her to feel nervous. However, after several more shots of alcohol and her arm round his
neck, he wasnt as confident about this conclusion.
Having not really learned anything of this girl, the two returned to the party as
jackets were replaced and cash left on the table. Taking a left out of the door, the group
continued their steps through the seemingly infinite city (he had never found its end by

bike). Moving through a darkened alley, they suddenly found themselves on one of the
citys main arteries--an impressively large street of a triple-laned two-way road, bordered
by walkways wide enough to squeeze in yet another lane on both sides. Upwards, the
empty offices towered above their hundreds of thousands of workers who spent their
evenings bathing in the neon lights of the streets. Parties of individuals, looking almost
identical to his, roamed the concrete seeking this or that bar or club.
He had begun to understand that the group were in search of a popular karaoke
bar located in the area. A finger point from the girl whose arm was interlocked with his
indicated they had arrived. Being alone for the last few months, he was unable to deny
that he enjoyed the touch of another. Yet, believing that he would never really know this
girl, his interest in her had largely been extinguished. Regardless, he followed her, who
followed the others, into the opening of the tall bar with its dimly lit, red-tinted walls.
Taking their place on a number of long sofas, more shots were ordered, despite
already having consumed enough alcohol in the previous bar for the singing festivities to
begin. Those who wished to selected their song and bellowed through the words that
they, intoxicated, struggled to decipher from the screen. In a sense, he admired their form
of passion. And yet, he couldnt help but wonder how their lives would be different if
this emotion were directed to more important aspects of life, such as an enjoyable job and
an honest relationship.
Unused to this amount of socialising, he again required a break. Looking in the
bathroom mirror, he examined the bearded young man in black who faced him--this man
who felt so much, ceaselessly admiring the unbearable beauty of this world.
Returning to his seat on the sofa, he found himself sitting alone. Where his
accompaniment had gone he did not know. Most likely, their altered state of mind had
simply made them thoughtless. Looking to his left and right, revellers continued their
evening activities, attempting to make their lives meaningful. Despite being an outsider,
even he was not noticed by the individual bodies that flew around him. He imagined
himself a forgotten monument lying deep in an ancient jungle. He felt vines growing
over him to begin with, followed by the great heights of surrounding trees. As years
passed, he gradually lost pieces of himself to the clawing wind and rain. This continued
over centuries to the point that he became unrecognisable, even to those who had once
known him. Little by little, he made his way to the ground, into the constantly recycling,
churning soil. Even the remaining grains of his bricks disappeared eventually. And at
that point, he was everything and everywhere.
He raised his head, a calm smile on his face. Finding his feet, he made his way
back to his bike. Once again on his travels through the great city, his wheels spun
quickly along the soft curves of her body. He knew that this was to continue for a long
time to come. A lifetime of exploration wouldnt reveal all of her secrets, but he would
certainly try. He found comfort in the fact that, like him, even she would gently crumble
through the infinite passing of time. Eventually, the great monument and once-bright city
would return to their birth place--the depths of Earth. Further into the future and all
would be engulfed by their star and mother, truly becoming whole. Until that point, he
would ride, continuing to chart the nocturnal state of the one who would never leave him.