Chord of Existence

The green rhinoceros carried the city’s routes inside a glass room. Weddings crossed his shoulders, errands rolled beneath him and every passenger called his stillness ‘reliable.’ Whenever he wanted to turn, a bell reminded him that other lives depended on his obedience. One afternoon a child asked for a road that did not exist. The rhinoceros heard himself say, ‘No.’ The word struck the glass like a low musical chord.

A thin crack appeared. Everyone froze, expecting collapse. Instead, air entered. The woman above climbed down, the motorcyclist below drew a new road, and the passengers discovered they had feet.

The rhinoceros remained with them, but not as their floor. His first free step sounded nothing like destruction. It sounded like the beginning of music.