It’s been so long since I was last awake. Centuries I believe. Last time I spent so long asleep I awoke to find a world hadn’t moved on all that much. 

The fashions had changed—they always do—the buildings became more grand, the roads smoother, but beneath the veneer it was all the same. Horses for transport, fire for lighting. The same oppression and prejudices existed.

This time though… This time is different. 

There is light everywhere. Lining the streets, in the windows, on the buildings themselves, and on the large machines that rumble along the street without need for horses. It even lights the faces of some passers by, as they stare downwards at thin boxes held in their hands. It’s not the warm glow of fire either. The light is harsh and blinding. Downright gaudy in places.

Yes, light is everywhere I look, until my eyes drift upwards, and an ache fills my chest.

I used to look up at the stars, and their infinite grandeur that spread across the night sky. Even with the patience of an immortal I could never count the stars as the world spun beneath them. But the sky is a fraction of what it once was. Where did all those lights go?

My eyes lower again to a poor soul sat bundled against the chill of the night, as people hurry by. Some ignore him, some sneer, but none help. I guess maybe the world hasn’t changed after all.