The Outside

Life on the Outside
Somewhere, beyond the comfort and happiness of companionship, beyond the gates of the city of Acceptance lies a harsh wilderness—I call it the Outside.
It’s never really talked about, or thought of, or discussed. It has sunk into oblivion, behind the thickest curtain in the minds of common folk. Beyond Acceptance is uncharted, unclaimed territory, lurking with danger. No one cares to venture out and explore, to leave the familiar city lights.
The streets of Acceptance glow with comfort and familiarity. There are always sights to see, places to go, and parties to attend. The common folks’ bellies are fat with the food of Happiness. One can wander through Acceptance and never get lost.
And then there’s the Wall. The barrier between comfort and survival. What chains us Outsiders to the dangerous forest we are forced to call home. Another reminder that we are not accepted and not welcome, shut out from society, cut off from the tree and left to lie on the dirt as a stick.
The Outside is a lonely place. There are no bustling cities or crowded towns. There are no lights to guide our way by night, or maps to show our paths by day. We are left to the steep hills, the wide, rushing rivers, the towering trees, and the cold, hard ground.
Sometimes we climb trees and gaze longingly over the Wall, dreaming of a full belly of Happiness and a drink of Companionship. We all began in Acceptance as children, naïve and unaware of any uncharted forest or danger. As we aged, the moment came we began to differ from the common folk, the moment when we started to dream new ideas that no other could imagine. At that moment we were cast out, damned to this vast and wild prison.
At night, we feast our eyes on the twinkling stars, speckled across the sky like splattered paint on an inky blue canvas. The stars are our deceased brethren, our fellow Outsiders. Common folk die and pass on, never leaving a footprint on the path of Life, leaving no evidence of their very existence. But us Outsiders live on, sparkling forever, giving hope to those we left behind.
Look beyond the Wall and see us living, hoping, dreaming even in our prison. We are the Outsiders, and this is our home.