3:37 am. Always the same thing. I turned in my bed to be able to admire the moon shining in the sky. Why did I wake at this time every single night ? I tried my best to fall asleep again everytime but there was nothing to do. This dream, that I kept on doing, was haunting my mind and soul.
I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Romeo, Romeo Montaigu. I just turned 17, I come from below. Yes, from below. It's true, nobody can denie it, neither I, the world from above is way better from mine, richer, cooler, prettier. But anyway, nobody choses from where he comes from.
You don't understand ? Listen.
When we studied at school, teachers used to tell us, again and again, that the world knew an ineluctable change, transformation due to the huge spreading of the new technologies. Earth, or should I say former Earth got divide in two parts, creating two different worlds: the one from above and the one from below. These two worlds, that need each other to survive, mutually hate each other. And their impetuous leaders take a huge pleasure in making this hatred even tougher. Indeed, each world is ruled by a huge and powerful family, and my own is ruling the world from below ; we are the Montaigus. The world from above is lead by the Capulets.
Many years ago, when Earth got divide, a harsh conflict brought the two families into opposition and from this moment, a curse hit both of them. The cohabitation between inhabitants of the two different worlds is strictly prohibited. What is even stranger is that also nature seems to be against their reunion : they're opposed by different magnetic forces, their bodies don't have the same compositions, what prevent them from gathering. Furthermore, their habits, their ways of being, of living, are totally different. Whoever would escape his world to cross the other one would get roughly executed by the authorities.
But still, every night, 3:37, the same dream of exploring the world from above.
Every night, always the same, always so realistic.
I had the disturbing impression that I already went there, I mean, it was so creeepy to have such precise images of this unknow place in my mind.
The dream always ended the same way, I was at a ball.
Why a ball? I had never been to a ball in my whole life. A ball to celebrate what?
And there, I kept on dancing, upside down, with this delightful young lady, she looked at me like no one ever did. I couldn't prevent myself from looking at her lovely eyes. It was so hypnotizing, it made myself dizzy. Then I woke up.
Who was this girl that kept on obsessing me this way ? I needed to know.
Many weeks passed by. I tried my best to set up a plan that will permit me to cross the world from above. I read hundred books, I gathered interesting testimonies and many other informations : it was possible to go from a world to another, with the only condition of not being afraid facing death..
I didn't want my parents to see what I was planing, that's why I tried my best to keep them away from me.
Eventhough I lived all by myself in my own house and had a good job that permitted me to survive in this wide and merciless world, I couldn't help being a Montaigus' son and heir, what made really hard not to usually have my parents by my side. Beloved leader from below, my father always wanted me to take meticulous care of my reputation and appearance, and so did my whole family.
If one day he would have came to learn what I was secretly preparing, I would have probably got locked away in the family mansion until my last breath.
The good point was that my workshop was setted in my own house, so that I could peacefully proceed my experimentations. It's been several years now that I've been a well-known engineer and chemist. The only aim of this job was for me to come closer and closer of the understanding of the forces from both above and below. If I succeeded in getting the ones from below, I would only have to twist the system to get the ones from above.
« Romeo ? Could you please open that door ? » said a voice that interrupted my intense reflexion.
« Who's talking ? » I answered, starting to put some order in the mess on my desk.
« Don't be stupid, who could knock on your door in the middle of the night ? »
I took a look at my watch. 10 p.m.
« I'm coming Mercutio, I'm coming ! »
I should have doubt it. Whimsical, funny, happy-go-lucky, Mercutio was my dearest friend. He was the one that knew me best. He looked at me, intrigued, sat next to me and asked me what was going on.
« Nothing Mercutio, everything is fine, I'm maybe working too hard these times but that's all, I'm fine ! » I answered with a beaming smile.
Dubious, he insisted. And I started telling him all the truth, this dream and my obsession for above.
He remained speechless for a few minutes, before to tell me about what was going to be my free pass to the world from above.
« Your idea Romeo, you couldn't have had it at a better moment ! » he yelled joyfully. »
I didn't get what he was trying to say.
« What ? Don't tell me you didn't heard about it ...That's the only thing we can see on TV today ! The biggest Veronaworld power is organizing a huge event. And you know the Capulets' reputation, always bigger, always stronger, always prettier. This event is going to be mind-blowing !» he explained to me, miming everything with his arms.
He looked like an inspired daydreamer trying to tell me the most marvellous story he had ever heard. I couldn't prevent myself from smiling. Mercutio wasn't involved in this harsh rivality between Capulets and Montaigus, he didn't belong any of them. But still, he came from below and he was doomed to stay there.
It made me kind of sad because Mercutio didn't seem to understand it was impossible for us to go above.
« Don't tell me you don't have a plan Romeo, I know you better than anyone ! If you work that hard, it's obviously that you have something dude ! » He told me, with an impatient smile.
I gave him back this same smile, and explained him my whole plan.
I had setted up a kind of antidote that changes our bodies compositions, modifies our perceptions and that permits us to stay upside down, without our health to be affected in any way.
But a problem remained. If Mercutio and I wanted to cross the world from above, we knew that we would be easily recognizable by everyone, we were so different from them, we would look like bears in a sheeps flock. Our main aim was to find a way not to be seen and to avoid the authorities.
Several days passed by since Mercutio came, and I kept on working really hard, and every night, this dream kept on haunting my mind. 3:37.
I decided to get a little rest. I turned the TV on and heard the announcement of the Capulets' event. It was a ball aimed to find a husband for the Capulets' daughter. The word «ball » kept on ringing in my head like an unbearable noise. I remained standing still. Then, I turned up the volume. And I heard it again : «ball ». Everything started to make sense. I was going to meet that girl, the one that I saw in my obsessional dream, I was pretty sure of that.
The D-day was coming closer. My antidote was ready. And my will to go above was stronger than ever. Mercutio and I knew very well that we may never see the world from below again, but we promised each other that there won't never be no regrets.
« Now ! » I said to Mercutio, taking the flask to my mouth. And so did he.
A dull noise resounded. My vision got blurry.
Numbers, words, senses, feelings… Everything seemed to bump into each other.
Our center of gravity tipped over. Here we were, upside down.
I looked at Mercutio, he had a smile on his face. I understood that everything worked really well. I took the map off my bag, the one that lead us to the Capulets' ball. Our crazy trip started.
A few minutes later, we were just in front of the gigantic castle. I had never seen a so well ornate place of my whole life. And I knew that the inside of the castle would be even more stunning.
« Good luck » whispered Mercutio, winking at me.
I smiled. Then we entered the mansion.
Everything was so beautiful, so bright, so colorful, so spectacular. Every single room of the place was crowded. The music was really loud. It only took me ten minutes to lose Mercutio in the herd. Nevermind, I knew that I would find him back one way or another at the end of the party.
I carefuly looked at every single guest, trying to avoid the Capulets.
I tried to find the young lady that haunted my mind for more than two long, very long hours. Mercutio remainded nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, a group of person began to run to the garden, I didn't now why.
I was lost in my thoughts. The strong lights were fading. They finally letted place to softer ones. Music changed too, it was calmer.
I was slowly walking in the huge corridors, exploring each room. I saw a mirror and came closer to it. I was dressed up like a knight. I laughed, I still was upside down, everything was happening as I did plan it.
I saw an aquarium that caught my attention because of its huge size. It was quite funny, water was also upside down in here. Indeed, everything seemed really normal to me there, whereas everything was so different from my own world.
This aquarium was huge, it was crazy. I was asking myself thousand questions about it.
Then suddenly, she appeared.
She was looking straight at me. I had never saw the real beauty before this blessed night. She was standing on the other side of the aquarium. She were wearing wings, angel's wings. My heart was beating out loud. Then she went away. I saw in her eyes what I had to do. So, I did my best to catch her again. I was walking faster. I collided with many people without caring about it, losing her was the last thing I wanted on earth.
Finally, she was there, in the middle of the main room, dancing with another man. She were wonderful in her long white ornate dress... And her wings ! She looked like a fairy. I remained standing still.
Then, her eyes crossed mine, once again. I wanted to never let her go.
Once her graceful dance was over, she disappeared, again.
I had to find her back ! And that's what I did. She was standing in front of a massive golden door now. She didn't stop looking at me. My eyes weren't leaving hers for a single second.
The door opened, it was a lift. We both entered it. I looked deeply in her lovely eyes one last time, before to take her in my arms, to kiss her lips lightly.
A fire work burst in my chest, and I felt her heart beating strongly.
« Romeo.»
« Juliet. »
The lift doors opened.
« Juliette Capulet, come here RIGHT-NOW ! » shouted a voice.
I began to feel terribly wrong. She was a Capulet. I felt like I got stabbed several times, right in the heart.
I took a huge breath. Whatever the place where we were from, my heart was hers and hers was mine. Montaigu ? Capulet ? Why would we even care ? What was the aim of living a life where the rules prohibited happiness ? This wasn't going to be my fate, I would be a bear in the sheeps' flock, I would be happy.
I hurried to explain her who I was, from where I came from and why I came there.
« The only man I love is the son of the only man I hate! I saw him too early without knowing who he was, and I found out who he was too late! Love is a monster for making me fall in love with my worst enemy. » she murmured.
Than, she gave me the most amazing kiss ever.
The voice called her again. She went away, looking at me.
« When we'll we meet again, Romeo ? » she said, with a tone full of hope.
« Very soon, I promise. »
Despite the awful discovery I made about the girl I was in love with, I was a contented man. The only thing I was able to do was thinking about her, her sweet voice, her lips, her body.
I almost forgot about Mercutio. I looked for him everywhere, but without any result, that's why I made the hard decision to leave without him. It was too risky for me to stay there any longer.
At last at home, I layed down on my bed and immediatly fell asleep.
This night, my eternal dream was even prettier. But what I didn't know at this time was that it will soon turn into a real nightmare.
Many weeks passed by and I saw Juliet everyday. My love for her kept on growing each day a little bit stronger. The antidote was still working, my parents moved away from my life and didn't have any suspicion, they were way to busy with their competition with the Capulets to have even one minute to look at what I was doing. Everything was so perfect.
Juliet and I, we planned to get married. Then we did it, secretly.
We were so glad together. I hated our families. I hated this need to hide to live my love story with her. She were my soulmate, and I would have loved to shout it out loud…
And then, I learned Mercutio's death. As I supposed it, he didn't come home. His strong habits from below betrayed him in front of the authorities.
I heard that in the world from above, a huge conflict burst with Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, where Mercutio got killed. My best friend, got killed. And this bastard was going to pay for that. This terrible event reminded me how impossible it remained to set peace between the two worlds.
Press started to be thrown into panic in both worlds. Now that the possibility to join the other world was conceivable, inhabitants from above and below started to worry a lot.
Rage was growing inside of me, bursting like a merciless storm. Nobody would prevent me from living by Juliet's side.
Somebody knocked at my door. It was my father. He surely came to get explanations. He wasn't aware of my union with Juliet. Finally, he only came to tell me about the fact that the rivality between Capulets and Montaigus reached its peak and that wide vigilance from my side was required. When he left, I decided to join Juliet to tell her about this discussion. But before to cross the other world one more time, I had to elaborate a plan. I was tired of not being able to stay above for more than two or three days.
The war between the two worlds was pretty close. I was lucid , I knew that nobody would put up with our union.
Once more, I drank the antidote to find back my beloved wife. This time, I met more diffuculties to join her, due to the authorities reinforcement. The police was everywhere, but luckily, I succeeded one more time in remaining invisible to everyone.
We always met at the same place, in a little shack in the wood, far from the city tensions.
I opened the door. She were laying in bed. She were delightful, and so was this smile on her face.
«We have to flee Juliet.» I whispered in her ear.
She looked at me, acquiescing.
Few days later, the news kept on spreading the same rumor in Veronaworld :
«Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montaigu are dead.»
This newsflash was on every single screen, in both worlds. Inhabitants from above and below were both thrown into panic. Nobody could understand.
We setted fire to our little shack, letting behind us lots of evidences that letted think we were dead burnt. I also letted a letter on the desk of my room, explaining my father I created an antidote that permitted me to go above. I even told him about my relationship with the Capulets' daughter, saying I'd rather die than living without her by my side.
I hoped that through these words, tensions between the two worlds would calm down. If Juliet and I decided to play that sordid game, it was also to try to awake people awarnesses.
Will the two families one day bring back together?
Will the war keep on raging?
Is the end of both worlds closer than ever?
Sometimes, I think about the answers to these questions. Then, I tell myself that these words are just a bunch of vain hopes, that utopias are only for movies and books. But to find this warming, reassuring thing that I had been looking for for so long, I just have to turn my head and to dive in Juliet's eyes.
Indeed, these questions that I ask myself, there're not my business anymore. Why is that ? Purely and solely because from now on, we're neither above nor below.
After several experiences that I had been doing for the last five months, I discovered a surprising, brilliant and unexpected thing : the existence of a world right in the middle of the two others. And the only thing that joins these two worlds is the moon. Yes it's true, it's a little bit dark in here. But still, at least we found a place where we're both home.