A
River
Between
Us
Prologue
Paris, France 1883
At this time in history, classes were as separate as a border or a mountain range between two feuding countries. With only a small glance at someone, you could tell what class they were, what their income was, and how rough or easy their lives have been.
In Paris, this class separation was taken to the extreme by making a borderline, even though for people that lived outside the city and in other countries it was not known to them or placed on any map, and this borderline was the river Seine. It was the borderline between classes. Only the inhabitants of this world famous city knew about this borderline and considered it the same as country borderlines.
To the left side of this river were the artistic citizens of the city. People from all over the world would look upon the pieces of art that these people made, and the viewers would be from all over the world and they would look upon the pieces with awe and respect for generations. On this side, there were also people who wrote magnificent pieces of music, beautiful operas and songs, and refined dances. However, sadly, not many of the unique pieces of art, and the artists that made them, would get their respect and recognition until it was past their time. So naturally, not that many people here were the richest. On the high note, not many people were homeless or hungry, but it was more of a problem here than it was on the right side of the river. Also, not a lot of citizens learned the main subjects that you would learn in school, such as mathematics, social studies, language arts, and science because not many could afford to send themselves, let alone their children, to school to get a proper education. There weren't many schools here either.
Now on the other side of the river is s completely different story. This side is the hope to the political people of the city. Here they are most known for their great success in businesses and political things. If you walked the streets here, you would see men in their business suits, women wearing the latest fashions, children being obedient and staying close to their families or the group they are walking with, and hardly any homeless people. Unlike in the left side of the river where you would see musicians playing, dancers dancing their hearts out, people drawing and painting the gorgeous scenery around them, children running around the streets, and much more homeless people.
The people of the right side of the river have never seen the left side, except for the glimpses that they get from their windows or while they are out walking. It goes the same for the citizens on the left. Because of the huge class difference between the sides, no one is allowed to go to the other side. If they do and are caught doing so, which most of the time they do, the punishment varies. The most common punishments are prison or even to the extremity of death. Few have dared to cross over to the other side for fear of their lives.
However, two people will cross that line and break down the high and tough wall that separates these two classes. In doing so, they will prove that love truly conquers all.
