In the hustle and bustle of the busy city there is a bridge. Carrying thousands of people a day from the wild city of brooklyn to the even wilder famed streets of Manhattan, New York City. But it is on the Brooklyn side of this bridge where our story begins. Underneath the bridge in the junkyard, actually. For here there lived a rat, among many other things. It is here where he was born and here where he will die in not too long a time, but what happens in between is entirely up to him. 

The day began as it nearly always does with the rushing of footsteps and the honking of the streetcars above. And of course, every ten minutes or so, the earth rumbling sound of the subway passing overhead would shake the ground. But by now he had become so accustomed to it he barely felt a thing. This young rat may seem ordinary and simple, as far as rats go, and that he is for the time being. He has no name, or rather he doesn't remember it anymore, for no one much spoke to him. He thinks of very little but the next scrap of food he might encounter or the next time he must scurry into a tube to save his life. This place he called home was nothing much but he made it well enough. Every so often a new assortment of oddities would appear for him to poke through. An old arcade game, a rotting couch, once a whole fridge. He never saw how they got there, they just seemed to arrive but he didn't much mind, for like I said, he thought very little.  

As he peered through the day's assortment of new trinkets, he stumbled upon something new. Amongst a pile of garbage, a colorful piece of paper stuck out. Cautiously he scrambled over to inspect. As he tugged and pulled with all his might, the paper began to come loose and he fell over backwards, this new treasure in his hands. It was crumpled and torn but as he began to unfold it, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. A colorful array of lines and patterns crossed over each other and weaved throughout pictures of buildings. As he looked over it he began to see a city unfold before his eyes. His gaze moved to the top of the page where in big letters he could make out: WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN. He almost felt as if he was shaking, trembling with excitement. His eyes paced over the buildings and through the streets as if it were a maze. He felt a thirst take over him, a new wonderment he had never felt before. And when the rips took chunks of this puzzle away from him, he felt as if he was dying to see what was there. He studied it for what felt like hours, never once tearing his eyes away from his new found treasure. 

As he sat there in wonderment, the ground beneath him began to rumble, and the noise grew louder as it always did. For the first time in a long while he looked up to see the train approaching rapidly overhead. It came fast causing a gust of wind so strong he was nearly knocked off his little feet. As he struggled to regain his balance the page slipped from his paws and before he could grab it again it was blown over his head and out of sight. 

He tossed and turned restlessly that night, not able to get a wink of sleep. For the first time in his life, something had occupied his mind but was taken from him leaving him hungry for more. As he closed his eyes he dreamed of the streets, weaving in and out around high rises and skyscrapers. What mysteries lay hidden beyond his sight? He grew restless as this dream caught hold of his mind. His body yearned for adventure, to escape from this life he now felt trapped in. To leave through that fence was all he wanted though he knew it would be risking it all. 

It grew to an obsession, taking hold of his little mind. He no longer felt in control of his body. Without meaning to, he would find himself at the edge of the fence, his paw grasping at the bars staring out into the unknown. For the first time he had looked beyond his graffitied walls which painted a picture of life he now knew to be false. Before he could think, could try to turn back, he found himself grasping onto the bars, pulling himself up and through a hole. As he fell to the ground on the other side the world came to life and as he stood he saw what he never thought he would see. Beauty.