Author's Note: The reference is with the guy in the tree that scares Dib away. You have to be familiar with the creator of IZ to get it.
Fall was starting to turn to winter, and the leaves were falling off the trees at an alarming rate. Gir ran through the piles with excitement, giggling maniacally as they crunched under his feet. The wind picked up as Dib looked over at Zim, lifting the leaves around the green boy seductively. A rainbow of reds, oranges, and browns swirled around Zim's feet and legs, teasingly, never touching his dark clothing. Dib watched as the leaves wrapped around and around, each spinning in their own fashion, like they were trying to get his attention all at once.
The leaves suddenly remembered something important, and blew off all at once down the sidewalk, leaving the air still and silent around the two boys. Zim decided he wanted to know the secret those leaves were hiding, and ran after them. Gir didn't notice the leaves, so he had no idea what was going on, but he followed nonetheless. The two boys were lean and fit, with long legs (Zim's were long to the rest of his body, but he was still a good head shorter than Dib), so they kept up easy, even with the quick winds and crisp air.
They stopped at a very unknown part of town, about a mile and a half from their houses. Neither knew where they were going, but they kept following the leaves that seemed to be waving them on, leading to some unknown place, full of wonder. Their tour guide stopped at the base of a large bridge, and dropped to the floor, limp and lifeless, like they'd always been there.
"Where the hell are we?" Dib wondered, looking around, trying to recognize any part of this place. Zim shrugged, walking up the bridge. "Zim does not know, but the Earth wants us here, so, here we are." Dib snorted, surprised that Zim could sound like such a hippie. But, they were there, so might as well explore. "What is this place?" Dib shrugged. "Just an old bridge, I guess. I think it leads out of town. Nobody uses it, though. It's cobblestone, too, so it must be really damn old." Zim half skipped, half hopped up the bridge, liking the noise the stone made under his feet. When they got to the peak, they looked out on the town.
"This city is so busy, but very unproductive. Zim doesn't understand humans. You all have to be somewhere, and are always going places, but you never seem satisfied with life. You have no purpose. No higher goal to reach. All you seem to do is destroy your planet, stuff your faces, and read your news. It's sad. Nobody here has a meaning for living, they just don't know anything else, honestly. I wonder how humans would react if they got a purpose, though. Would you deny it all? Would you beat your head against the wall until blood drips down? Simply from fear?" Well. That was...unexpected. "Where the fuck did that come from?!" Dib blinked hard at Zim, who laughed in an off-key voice. "Zim will be honest. I stole that from an Irken 'philosopher', I suppose they're called. But he wasn't talking about Earth. Zim doesn't remember who those words were for, but they fit nicely."
Dib physically shook himself. "Okay...no more philosophical bullshit. That was way too depressing, hopeless, and macabre for me. I already have enough sick twisted thought by myself. I do not need you to add on, deal?" Zim tilted his head down, apologetic. "Zim is sorry. In my defense, it sounds much worse in my native tongue." Dib looked out on the town, trying to shake off that weird ass experience. Dib didn't know Zim knew how to string those words in such a way that would nearly cripple the goth for no apparent reason. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, but Zim's hand on his arm helped wash it away.
"Anyway...nobody uses this bridge anymore. Not since my dad built that huge network of subways and electric tran-buses. It's nice, though." It was a beautiful view. The cobblestone was old, so ivy and vines laced around the ledge and in between cracks in the pathway. What wasn't covered in green or purple flowers, it was just a soft, pale grey. The view was long and wide, and the towering buildings loomed over everything, cast deep shadows on the streets. Bright lights and car horns covered everything, like pesky bugs, and a sense of hopelessness and frustration seemed to fill up the spaces between concrete and asphalt.
This part of town was silent, though. Too silent. It wrapped around this area, like a blanket wraps around a child. It was as if this piece of the city was stuck in time, never moving forward; always standing as still as the leaves on the ground. The birds were in the trees, but they didn't sing. It was as if they were mourning the loss of something long forgotten, that they knew may never come back. Dib wanted to speak, to break the silence, but something got clogged in his throat. He couldn't utter a word, or turn to leave. He sensed something was hiding here, but he didn't know what it was.
Suddenly, Zim pointed down below them, to a patch of trees. "Who's that?" Dib squinted, trying to see who was down there. Whoever it was, they were very tall, very dark, and very pale. Dib didn't like the feeling that person gave off. He adjusted his glasses. "I don't know. Some bum, or something. Let's go, it's getting late." A weird vibe came from this place, and Dib didn't like it. Zim sensed his unease, and took his hand. "Okay." As they walked down the path towards home, Dib swore he could hear a faint call from behind him. It almost sounded like someone was screaming "No! It's knee!". Dib broke into a sprint, unsure why, and never went back there again. Stupid fucking leaves, he thought later that night.