start

Being a small piece of nature in such a secluded area of the Dutch Railway property, I never felt loved, and it was okay because they left me live undisturbed. It all slowly started in 2019, when NS, the company that "owns" me, wanted to flatten me entirely. What saved me then and made me endlessly grateful is the initiative that the neighborhood put in motion, and I became a park. Life as a park was great day and day through. People came for walks, dogs brought their owners and played with them, children always loved to play in the field and discover the forest.

Some friendly young folks made a garden and planted some foods. I provided the plants with nutrients and allowed them to grow beautifully. Always happy to help them, as the years passed, more and more people walked my paths and smelled the beauty of nature. As the years went by, technology grew bigger and bigger, taking up a great deal of most people's time. They used me as a beautiful escape from the trap they got themselves into. By growing more and more beautiful nature, I showed them I care as well.

Around the year 2048, the world was not doing its best, or at least nature wasn't. It was two years ago, and I was more necessary than ever. Oxygen became somewhat of a currency recently, and a young group of people made a plan to expand me. Sideways was a no-go, the railway is still there, and those friendly humans inhabit everything else nearby. Digging underground was one of their ideas, but that was a closed approach with a great deal of energy consumption. What was left was building up a park in the sky, the first one in Rotterdam. The plan was not to build a colossal food factory but rather a floating piece of heaven, a place where people can go and interact with nature, interact with each other. They had a hard time leaving me untouched and arranging a way to bring some of my roots upstairs, but I worked with them; I knew it was good for both of us. And the plan was to keep the origins of the park, what made me a park in the first place: food for the people.

The year is 2050, the sky park and garden are completed. It is astonishing how the nanomirrors they placed on the buildings near reflect sunlight and allow perfect growth on both levels. I became somewhat of an attraction, and the best part is the no-internet shield. When people come up here, they can enjoy all kinds of beautiful plants, fruits, and veggies while at the same time healing their minds from the burden of "real" life. Living nearby became somewhat of a privilege. The people nearby help with all the necessary for my growth, and I allow them the gift of living in a tiny piece of heaven. After seeing how great it can be to work with and not against nature, they made plans for future parks like me. I'm a park, and I'm proud of the humans.