DAY 19, TAKING A DEEP BREATH, PROTESTS, POLITICIANS, COEXISTING WITH NATURE, REGIONAL MAYORS, EMPOWERMENT, IMMIGRATION, book 4, building

Some hours later, Alice found her room on the first floor, slipped into the large fourposter, (19) and a few hours later she woke up again, dawn already underway. On a whim, Alice got out of bed, dressed quickly, left the house and hurried to the stables, just as the first rays of sunshine touched the roofs. Jimmy, the master of horses, was waiting for her with a cup of tea. ‘How did you know?’ Jimmy, who was in his fifties, blond, as tall as Alice, and on the slim muscular side, smiled. ‘I cheated. I asked your security team to let me know when you left the house. That gave me just enough time to get the water boiling. I had an inkling that you might want to go for a ride before the day swallows you. I saw your schedule.’ Alice smiled. ‘That’s— Thank you! And thank you for the tea.’ ‘It’s my pleasure. I’m glad you came because the site has a surprise for you, and Marla is saddled. Would you mind if I came?’ ‘Not at all.’ A short while later, Alice and Jimmy rode past Jellybridge House and some lawns, entered the Young Forest, followed the track north and came to an abrupt halt at the fringe of the forest. Alice was stunned. Spring had transformed the land into a paradise of flowers of all colours and forms. It was amazing. And the smell— the smell was hypnotising, and her senses danced with the joy and potency of spring, of becoming. Alice took a long, deep breath in. As she exhaled slowly, she let her gaze wander across the rolling meadows, the hill, the lake, the fold, the fringes of the forests. Marla swished her tail. ‘How can we preserve this?’ Alice said, half to herself. ‘You will find a way,’ Jimmy replied confidently. Alice chuckled. ‘Maybe we already have. We can put all the plants on our roofs. No one says we can’t have gardens on every roof — in which case we simply elevate the landscape and slip our houses under it.’ Jimmy smiled. ‘You will find a way.’ When Alice and Jimmy rode back and reached the other side of the Young Forest again, Jazz, head of Project Security, and Anthony, head of Building Site Security, also on horses, came towards them. They had news: protesters were arriving in busses, vans and cars at Jellybridge House. ‘I can see them,’ Jimmy said, frowning. ‘It’s under control,’ Anthony returned. ‘We have enough security here, and we cordoned off the space around the fountain, in front of the main entrance, so they have a dedicated spot where they can stage their protest.’ ‘Who are they?’ Alice asked as they all rode on towards the house. ‘The protest is financed by our neighbour, the old lord who owns the coastline and who is furious about the town project. Some protesters are local farmers who are afraid of competition from the town, others are locals who are afraid of the masses of people who will suddenly be in their neighbourhood, some are from further away, conservative groups who think the town project has dangerous ideas, others seem to be paid by lobbyists, we’re still checking their backgrounds, and some are worried about consequences for the environment if the town is built here. And the protesters brought a few anti-town journalists. Oh, I nearly forgot, there are also some conspiracy theorists who brought cameras, and who posted online that they will go snooping around the place to find the hidden weapons, drugs, orphans and race horses.’ Alice shook her head. ‘That is literally crazy.’ ‘It is,’ Jimmy said thoughtfully. ‘But we’ll bring them soup and tea. That’s the only way to make a difference: treat them like humans and give them a chance to see that their fears are unfounded. Leave it to me and Betsy and our people and Security.’ Alice exchanged a glance with Jazz who nodded and said. ‘Don’t worry about the protesters. But there is more.’ ‘Oh?’ ‘See that group of suits that’s waiting at the foot of the steps to the front door.’ ‘Yes?’ ‘They are politicians from London who were at the party in the atrium, two days ago.’ ‘Oh?’ ‘They want to talk to you.’ Some minutes later, Alice got off Marla near the group of politicians. The moment her feet touched the ground, the protesters around the fountain began to call for the shutdown of the town project, but Alice didn’t get to wonder whether she should respond or not because one of the politicians addressed her. ‘Alice Adler! Good morning! You’ll remember us from your party.’ ‘Good morning. I do. Good to see you again.’ ‘Well, our visit here is strictly unofficial, and we’re not making any promises. You can think of us as thorough servants of our country, and as such we have brought a list of topics which might come up should the government at any point decide to enter negotiations — which at this point is highly unlikely. And we thought it was ideal to meet you here so we can discuss our points on location to—’ At this point, Alice interrupted, with a smile. ‘—Thank you for coming. And thank you for being thorough. However, I have an extremely tight schedule today. And I’d like to refer you to Kojo and Amahle, our media people for the Building Site Team. I’m sure they can arrange some meetings with members of the town project team. If you wanted to stay the night or came back tomorrow, I could meet you at seven in the morning for two to three hours.’ The politicians weren’t happy. But when, shortly afterwards, Kojo and Amahle mentioned coffee and breakfast in the morning room, the politicians’ mood improved. By that time, Alice was in a meeting with the Building Site Team to resolve a major disagreement regarding the future of the fold. Apparently, the town team had entangled itself in ideas of how to use this elevation which offered a perfect view to the east and the west and connected the Young Forest in the south with the Old Forest in the north. The most radical idea was to have only gardens along the fold, with a corridor for wildlife, while the two parts of the town would be connected via tunnels through the fold. Others wanted, at least, the library to keep its planned spot on the fold. And some suggested to use elevated walkways on the fold as tracks for hikers. These walkways could be integrated into some smaller buildings, possibly on stilts, for cafés and artist studios along the way, while leaving the ground to animals and plants. After listening to all suggestions, Alice, her eyebrows raised, said: ‘Your ideas sound great, and they are in keeping with our goal to reconnect to nature. But listening to you I thought, we are kidding ourselves. We cannot pretend that we’re not building a town. Covering the fold in great gardens is not a way of redemptions for having ten-thousands of people suddenly occupying the space left and right of the gardens. A town is a town, a unit. Not something that is separated. Besides, I am a Berliner, you really can’t ask me to agree to separating our town into a west and an east side.’ Some chuckled, others smiled, Alice continued. ‘Our task is to build a town in a way that coexisting with nature is possible. What exactly that will look like is something we want to find out. But cutting off a chunk of our town to leave it to nature is not coexisting. At best it’s being neighbours. To coexist we have to find a way to share space without causing too much damage. I like the idea of corridors, though. Maybe the corridors could be winding along the fold, parts of them elevated to let walkers pass, or the other was around, or both. And there is another point. We want to find out how we can build a town where community life is a natural byproduct. And I guess for that, all our spaces in town need to be connected. If I have to walk through a large forest to get to my grandmother, I’ll think of a scary fairy tale and won’t be wrapped in a town’s connecting atmosphere. And just in case, one more point: Not one of our circle roads runs for a full circle in our new plans, which is fine and and a bit funny, but to cut our partial circle into halves contradicts the whole idea of our three-thirds-of-a-cobweb town layout.’ Ethan, head of the Town Planning Team, let out a long sigh. ‘I didn’t see the Berlin wall angle. But that does it for me.’ Jason, head of the Architecture Team, nodded and asked. ‘Then what are we going to do with the fold?’ Alice flicked back a few pages in the folder before her. ‘Let’s take a look at the early version on page seven. I’ll start in the north. The fold begins in the Old Forest, outside of town, and rises along the river, River Aros. As the fold emerges from the forest, we come to the space for the Camping Garden which would have to go somewhere else if we left the fold alone. But if it stays, then The Camping Garden is nicely nestled between the slope of the fold and the lake.’ ‘Thank you, Alice!’ Kim, head of the Landscape Architecture Team, said and added: ‘I agree, this is a perfect spot for the Camping Garden, and this way it can connect to the Common Garden and is close to the town centre. All other options made the Camping Garden look like an intrusion and out of place. But below the lake, next to the river, with the fold. It’s perfect.’ Megan, head of the Agriculture Team, sighed. ‘OK, you win. And maybe you’re right, Alice. I find myself pushing the town away, instead of asking how town and nature can be intertwined.’ Alice smiled. ‘You have done intertwining before, Megan. You’ll find it again.’ ‘Thanks, and carry on.’ ‘OK. Next. The fold would be home to the last and lower buildings of the Roof Gardens. It should be interesting to use the natural levels of the land in combination with the different heights of the Roof Gardens buildings. We want the Roof Gardens to be an assembly of buildings, resembling half a mountain integrated into the outer wall — and with the fold, our building mountain gets another wave or even another peak. Next to these fold Roof Gardens buildings there is some space, maybe for another garden, maybe just wild land, and it’s crossed by the Gardens Road. Then we have the library, our central building with bell tower and a garden around it with a perfect view of the lake. From here the fold curves a little to the south/east, and I’d like to keep the roundabout where Central Avenue crosses Cherry Circle, for the view down to the lake.’ Alice stopped and massaged her temples. ‘The Yards. I wasn’t aware that two of the Yards complexes run across the fold in this version. Hm.’ Ethan nodded. ‘With our redbrick design for the Yards, we would make those sites highly visible on the fold, they’d be as dominant as the library or the highest of the Roof Garden buildings.’ ‘But we have other options,’ Jason said. ‘On page twelve, you find the idea of locating these two Yards buildings at the foot of the fold. Alternatively, on page twenty, you have the buildings only on the slopes and a connection via a tunnel.’ ‘Hm. Let’s look at the educational squares first,’ Alice said. ‘Two of the six educational squares could be on the fold. And that would be very fitting because of the view, the connection to the library, even though they have their own libraries. But still, the designs of those squares fit into the other fold buildings’ designs, most of them sandstone and timber. What if we nudge the Yards complex just a bit to the west, so that their main structure is on the west side of the fold, closer to the town centre? And we’d have smaller Yards buildings for workshops and apprentice accommodations along the slop and across the fold. And would could adjust the design of those buildings to that of the other fold buildings.’ Jason eyes had an excited gleam. ‘We could use smaller buildings on the top of the fold, which perfectly fit into the fold design theme, and as the Yards slope down, they fade into the red-brick design. We could even integrate some redbrick into a timber design.’ ‘That sounds great,’ Alice said. ‘And that leaves the question of the last part of the fold. And here I’m tempted to opt for gardens rather than buildings — and now I have your fold fever, too, and ask, what if we kept the fold free of homes?’ Ethan and Megan chuckled. ‘And push the Roof Gardens further east?’ Megan teased. Alice shook her head, smiling. ‘Damn. I see how you got there, and that this will need more thinking.’ ‘You made valid points,’ Megan said. ‘And maybe the best takeaway from our fever is to focus on the towners. What do they need, what enhances the chances of a vibrant community life? And when we get too much into a fever on that side of the scale, we’ll focus more on coexisting with nature again.’ ‘You’ve got me cooled down,’ Alice said, smiling. Not much later, Alice, Ethan (town planning), and Megan (agriculture) met with the tree replanting experts to discuss which trees along the planned roads had the best chances of surviving an excavation and a relocation, and which spots were suited for replanting the trees. The experts agreed that the Old Forest trees would have the best chances on the west side of the river, thereby extending the Old Forest in the west. They also suggested an area above the stream not far from the foot of the hill. Regarding the trees of the Young Forest, they said that some trees wouldn’t have to be moved far, since the Young Forest had some natural gaps, and the boarders around Jellybridge House were also suitable as new locations. ‘If you really are flexible with the layout of your roads, then we can keep the replanting to a minimum.’ ‘We are,’ Megan said. ‘Wherever we can, the trees have priority.’ At noon Alice, Beatrice (head of admin) and Leo (Alice’s assistant) met with a group of regional majors again. A lot had happened since the day by the lake, thirteen days ago, in particular thanks to the project businesses. The meeting was jovial and further enhanced by Betsy’s delicious lunch, which they took in one of the orchards behind Jellybridge House, not far from the large kitchen garden and far enough away not to hear the protesters who had declined the offer of food. ‘They have no idea what they are missing,’ one of the mayors said. ‘Honestly, your kitchen is the best,’ another remarked. Alice smiled lopsidedly. ‘I wouldn’t call Betsy a kitchen. She’s more like a soul. The most generous soul I’ve ever met.’ ‘Tell me,’ another mayor said. ‘Did your project empower your cook?’ Today’s focus campaign was the BENEFITS OF EMPOWERMENT, so Alice knew where this question came from and said: ‘Funny enough, I’d say no and yes. Betsy is a complete person in the sense that there is nothing that holds her back or that she holds back. She is — in the best possible sense. But through our presence here, she has the opportunity to spread the fullness of her being, of her potentials further. She has more impact. In that respect, there is the kind of empowerment we’re in a position to give her new stages to be all she is.’ ‘Interesting.’ Another mayor nodded and said: ‘I was shocked by the lost chances simulations. And I only saw three of them.’ ‘I haven’t seen them,’ the mayor sitting next to Alice remarked. ‘I wouldn’t recommend it,’ the first returned. ‘The campaign team published simulations, singling out oppressive actions in the past and illustrating what could have been if people hadn’t been held back.’ ‘Such as?’ ‘If you must know, I watched the one about colonies. That’s horrible. All these lives, chained, their potentials buried forever. England would not be as rich as it is, but the world would have been a lot richer and more advanced if we as humans had focused on asking which talents everyone has and not which colour of skin. It still gives me the shivers.’ ‘I watched the rape simulation,’ another mayor said. ‘I never even thought about how much lasting damage a rape can cause, and how many people, women, men, children got and get broken, and how much progress the world forwent and still forgoes by allowing abuse to prevail.’ ‘I watched the one about war. Gruesome, too. But that simulation suggested something surprising. If there had been no wars, and people had focused on creating instead of destroying, the world population wouldn’t have exploded, and humanity would be much more advanced. The reasoning is: if every person is allowed to be all they are and if they can use all their talents, then more research could have been completed, and only people who care about bringing up children would have had them. And if the population hadn’t exploded this much, our habitat wouldn’t be nearly as close to collapse as it is now. And the simulation suggests that pushing for more children is the policy of warmongers because, and I quote: ‘War eats children and war needs full coffers, which means warmongers need tax payers.’’ Another mayor looked at Alice: ‘Your other campaigns aren’t quite as dark.’ ‘True. We were intrigued by the comparison between what is, what could have been and what could be. But we didn’t expect the results to be this dark. On the other hand, the simulations reveal the vast potentials of what each human has to offer. Plus, we added simulations for the future. For example, what is possible tomorrow if we empower every human today?’ ‘And what is?’ ‘According to the simulation: everything. It really got me when I saw the first of these future simulations. Because at the end of the day, everything is simple. We just have to want it. And we have to put in the work to strip ourselves off old narratives and find the narratives that serve us. No one wins by dividing the world into genders and by making out that one is better than the other. No one wins by dividing the world into races and making out that one is better than the other. No one wins by dividing the world into classes and making out that one is better than the other. No one wins by determining which abilities count and making out that one is better than the other. No one wins by pitting the generations against each other and making out that one is better than the other. But we all win if and when we toss away the divides, rediscover our explorer spirits, create together and reshape our world.’ ‘You have a talent for words, Alice Adler, I give you that. I don’t think what you attempt is possible, but I am curious, and I won’t get in the way.’ Another mayor smiled. ‘I think I can say as much, Ms Adler.’ Another mayor nodded and said: ‘I watched a future simulation about empowering homeless people by giving them the means to build their own town. It was just a simulation, but it’s based on existing research. And just after two years, you wouldn’t have known that most people in this simulated town used to live on the streets. The people rediscovered their pride by building their own town without being patronised. You might be on to something, Ms Adler.’ Another mayor snorted dismissively. ‘Feeling good about yourselves, are you? So good that you won’t mention today’s major event which asks questions about immigration none of you has the wits, guts or wisdom to ask?’ ‘I didn’t hear about this,’ one mayor returned defensively. ‘Then let me tell you. Unlike anyone on the political spectrum, this town project suggests that we ask what makes a community, what frightens people so that they turn against others, what does someone who had to flee their country need, what is a nation for, how can we come together and create new stories, stories which are not about someone slaving for the other but stories about thinking, building and dancing together? How can we make each other visible and learn to see each other? When will we finally stop telling people how they should feel and act, and instead find a way to shape our societies, our communities together.’ Another mayor cleared his throat. ‘I didn’t hear that last bit. I guess, you added it.’ ‘I did! Because that’s the gist of it. We keep attacking each other. We keep catering to a few idiots. We don’t ask what makes someone afraid of the other. We don’t ask where our media, our politics, our attitude makes all this inhumane divide in what we still call society, a hell on earth.’ The mayor took a deep breath and added: ‘I pray that this town project gets a chance. Though I have little hope. And since we are in this cosy group, I ask you, WHY have we become so stupid and insist on remaining stupid?’ The silence that followed was only broken when Betsy and some of her team came with the desert. At four Alice, Adeola (business liaison), Devery (Hub), and the Mayor of Marble Town signed the papers for the new Hub Station. And they signed a second contract to revive some of Marble Town’s former glass industry. This contract included a deal to trade glass with the prospective town, should it be built. Forty-five minutes later Alice, Adeola (business liaison), Hachiro (dot.) and the Mayor of Thistle Gate signed a contract for a new dot.station. Another forty-five minutes later, Alice, Adeola (business liaison), Claire (head of book stations international), Levi (head of the Arts & Crafts Team) and Kamal (member of the Arts Team) met with the Mayor of Elder Grove to sign a contract for a book station. After this, all mayors and many of the teams met in the hall of Jellybridge House to clink glasses, and the Mayor of Thistle Gate, aware that the politicians from London were standing in the background, said loudly: ‘If London sees fit to either ignore us or to offend us with their pitiful levelling-up offers, then we are left with no choice but to work with the people our government dismisses as freaks, people who have, at every turn, proven to be respectable, visionary, generous and sensible — unlike our government.’ Alice couldn’t help a smile, but she was worried. These contracts gave the town project a new edge and some recognition, but there were concern that these contracts might backfire since the project created dependencies with towns which were not part of the project. The mayors shared these concerns since they had agreed to be part of any town experiments that might relate to them. ‘Well, well,’ one of the mayors said. ‘So long as your motto is that an experiment is done to find out whether there is a better way to do something, I will put my eggs in your basket.’ Alice was a bit puzzled about the eggs and hoped they were cooked not raw. Later the Mayor of Thistle Gate told Alice: ‘I’m incredibly furious about the government in London. And, yes, I’m using the contract with you to make my anger felt. But I also meant what I said earlier. I was critical but you, your team, your companies and your generosity have impressed me, and I’m looking forward to working with your project.’ Just after sunset, Alice and Megan hosted a dinner for local and regional farmers. The mayors were welcomed to stay. The politicians from London, however, were not invited on behalf of the mayors and farmers who said that they would prefer to enjoy the evening. This night Alice got a little more sleep, (18) but she could have done with a better headline than the one Leo brought with the tea, the next morning.

© Charlie Alice Raya, book 4, building, 2025