GA Writing Prompts - 19. # 89 I Have the Blues

I had experienced this several times in my life. But that year I really got the blues. I spent the last day on the surface of the planet like many others did as well. The snow started falling on the exact day they had announced it. Summer had drawn to an end. The long and draining winter time had arrived.

Summer and winter last a long time on my planet. Each period is about two years on Earth. I know this because I worked on Earth for a few years before I returned to my home planet some time ago.

Like I said, I spent the last day of summer on the surface of the planet. Our infrastructure is adapted to the climatic characteristics of it. We have perfected our buildings over the centuries. The houses are on the surface during the summer period. Winter always comes on schedule. The buildings are moved underground on the last day of summer. They are constructed like the hydraulic elevators on Earth. The whole process is completed within a few hours. And then we live below the ground for an extended period of time.

I was accustomed to it. I had experienced it several times in my life. But that year I really had the blues. I had it badly. I was among the last persons who retreated underground. There is an extra building in every major city for those who cannot let go. It is in fact a major event that many even look forward to.

We gather in a large glass building in the morning. The roof is open in the beginning. We watch the sun rise for the last time. It is an almost religious event. The light of the sun is faint and the day is already cold. We are dressed in thick clothes and we are wrapped in blankets. We celebrate. We feast. It is in fact party time. At noon, however, the general mood shifts slowly towards a more depressed one. However, the word is not entirely accurate. The atmosphere is sad, but it is also solemn with an undertone of finality. We know that we are drawing to a close.

Clouds gather in the afternoon until the sky is darkened. This usually happens very quickly. The sun is obscured by clouds within an hour or two. The clouds are low and the temperature drops rapidly. This is when the roof of the glass building is shut. This is when the final countdown begins.

People stop their chatter. We gaze at the sky. We’re mesmerised. And then, from one minute to the other, the snow starts falling. We watch it until nightfall. At dusk, the large glass building is moved slowly underground. When all buildings are underground, the wide openings are closed for another long period of time.

I was among the last figures that stood lost and lonely in glass house underground. We opened a bottle of champagne and drank a toast to the sun and to the return of the summer. And then, wrapped in our blankets and with our hearts sunk, we left the glass building. It was hard to let go a bright period of time. Reluctantly, we moved on to pastures new. Such is life!

Today is the day after. And I do have the blues.