The Dream That Was

Decadence - 1986

On the other side of the City Centre, completed high-rise condominium towers poked up into the sky. They were so massive and awe inspiring. Sandford thought about all of the people that lived in them. Urbia's population had rapidly expanded recently due to these high-density projects.

Sandford closed his eyes and remembered the dream he had had a few days after Dagny took over the company. He was at home recovering from his heart attack. His dream was completely in black and white. It began with Sandford walking the streets of Urbia. Surrounding him were tall skyscrapers, much taller than those that actually existed in Urbia. It actually looked like a scene from the old movie Metropolis. The looming skyscrapers blocked the sun, as they were so massive. The people below cowered at their severity. As he walked the darkened streets of his city, he kept seeing something out of the corner of his eye. It was a woman, but she was different. She hovered above the ground and made a high-pitched screeching noise. She was a witch. Finally the witch came face to face with Sandford. He looked at her and realised that the witch was his daughter. He tried to run, but she followed him. The streets suddenly became barren. He tried to yell for help, but no one came. He ran faster and faster, but Dagny stalked him as she hovered above the ground. She poked at his head. It felt like the beak of a chicken, with each peck digging deeper into his skull. Then she grabbed him. Sandford struggled, but however hard he fought, she continued to hold him strongly. All of a sudden Dagny pulled out a knife and began stabbing her father. As she did so, she cackled. With each stab red blood started emerging from Sandford's body. It was the only colour in the dream. The blood was not liquid, but more like smoke. It swirled around and floated away from him. As the smokey blood touched the buildings, they too became red. As Sandford plunged to the ground in pain, his city was completely turning red with his blood. Then he heard loud cracking noises. It was such an overpowering dreadful noise. At that moment Dagny looked behind her and screamed. Then she flitted away. The giant skyscrapers above Sandford were beginning to collapse. They writhed and keeled above him. Huge shards of glass and pieces of concrete rained down on him. His city was collapsing to the ground. Soon Sandford was covered in the rubble, buried under tons of weight. This was when he woke up in a cold sweat.

Dagny was returning from a business trip to Ottawa. As soon as she entered the Toronto area she knew that she was home. Although she found Ottawa to be a beautiful city, it was not hers. As she made her way across the top of Toronto on Highway 401 she felt such pride in where she lived. As she approached the airport beside the highway she saw a plane coming in for a landing. Something inside her felt warm. She loved progression and the fast pace of the Toronto area. She opened her window to hear the engines of the plane as it flew above her car. There was something sexy about a plane landing, Dagny thought.

She turned onto Highway 410 and knew she was on the home stretch. Dagny admired the factories of the industrial areas in north Mississauga and then Urbia in the distance. The power lines above the highway were beautiful as they stood tall. The sun cut through the tense wires making them glisten. Dagny smiled. Now she was in her city.

The bridges over the highway that linked Urbia with Brampton looked strong before her. As her brand new Audi whizzed under them she admired the construction of the massive structures. Cars soared along them moving westward and eastward. She continued north to her home.

Then it emerged before her, the skyline of downtown Urbia. Dagny looked at the older rental apartment buildings that her father had built. They were so plain, she thought. They were built in the modern style where all the units were the same. There was no penthouse, just a monotonous façade. It made everyone in the building equal. That was what her father liked. Towering above them stood the condominium towers that she had built. They were far more spectacular and elaborate. The top floors had large penthouses with hipped rooflines. Postmodern architecture was all the rave, and this suited Dagny just fine. She admired her buildings with names like The Belair and The Cosmopolitan. They were the ultimate in luxury. The newest one that was still under construction was to include a squash court, tennis courts, a gym, an indoor pool and spa. They were built for the elite. Towering over the city, the wealthy citizens could live like royalty.

Dagny loved being rich, and she loved living in Urbia Woods. Her house was the largest in Urbia, as it should be. As she exited the highway she passed Urbia City Centre Mall. The parking lot was filled with cars. She started whistling Money Makes the World Go Round from Cabaret.

She passed through the stone gates that marked the entrance into Urbia Woods. As she drove past the mansions she felt even more at home. This was where she belonged. She had worked so hard to get where she was, and deserved only the finest.

Dagny waved at Doug Stephenson, a pilot, who was out walking his dog. She noticed a new Jaguar in the Bronson family driveway. For a moment she seethed with envy, but then realised that she could afford one if she wanted.

Pulling into her driveway she noticed that the gardener had been by to cut the lawn and manicure the plants. But wait, he left a pile of leaves next to the driveway. Such laziness, she thought. He certainly would be dealt with and straightened out. She secretly imagined beating the teenage boy who came each week to attend to her lawn. She smiled a cruel smirk and got out of her car.

Immediately Dagny turned around to survey her street. It all looked so perfect. Then she looked up at her house. It was exactly as she had always wanted. She had built herself a massive house on the only hill in the neighbourhood. That way she could be sure her house had a commanding presence over her minions. Her mansion was in a Southern Plantation style with Greek Revival columns. She recalled how Brendan had once told her about how that type of architecture, although beautiful, represented a society based on slavery. He showed her pictures of the old plantations and the terrible housing that the slaves had lived in. The romance of a Southern plantation was born out of the cruel treatment of humans. Learning of this only made Dagny want to build such a house even more. It gave her a sense of power.

As she walked up to the front door Dagnyremembered that Reginald would not be home. It was just perfect, she thought.All of this thinking about power, money, and decadence had turned her on. Dagnydecided that she would draw a bath and take the time to pleasure herself. Afterall she deserved it. Dagny Cohen was on top of the world.