As the pale yellow moon rose over the chaotic city, an evening routine seemed to kick in. A tourist group, standing at the edge of the river watched ripples form as their impatient children threw small, rounded pebbles into the murky grey river. An icy breeze caused the group to tug viciously at their thick woolen coats, and readjust their scarves and hats.

The light in shop windows – small and large – began to go out, and relieved owners flipped their cheap plastic door signs from “We Are Open! Please Come In!” to a less welcoming “Sorry We Are Closed!” Satisfied with the harsh clicking sounds their opaque padlocks droned, the owners made their way to the busy sidewalks in the heart of the city.

The roads were congested with the yellow bumblebee taxis, which slowly skulked up and down the street. Bustling pedestrians, too preoccupied by the flickering screens of their mobile phones, hurried to the safety and warmth of their homes.

Streetlights cast dark shadows on the faces of beggars, who went unnoticed by the active crowd. Slowly the eyes of apartment buildings blinked and the hum of chopping and scraping filled the air.

Soon the air was filled with the sound of laughter as families and friends are reunited after a long day at school and work. Not long after, parents are tucking their drowsy children into bed, where their minds are left to their own devices, quickly filled with images of being picturesque princesses or swordsmen slaying dangerous dragons.

The buzz of the last subway rattles a few buildings, but apart from that, the city is still.

The pale yellow moon looks at the city. Its luminous rays reflecting off the harsh, glass windows of newly built, towering skyscrapers.

The river below is flowing soundlessly. There are no ripples, just the mirror of the sleeping city above it.

The icy winds howl is gone unnoticed, its wrath causing only the fragile branches of maple trees to shiver in its path.

Although the shops are only lit with the moonlight, one can still make out the precious jewels, the owners guard behind the heavy steel padlocks.

The grey sidewalks are now unoccupied and litter lines them. The roads are quiet, not a bumblebee taxi in sight. One can walk across the street now, without receiving a rude howl from an intolerant taxi driver’s hooter.

The streetlights elucidate empty street corners, and the lights in apartment buildings are currently dormant.

The air is crisp and silent. Parents have joined their children in their peaceful slumber, which in the morning would be disrupted by the blaring sound of their alarm clocks.

The subway is inactive and the trains are shut down for the night.

The pale yellow moon looks at the city. Its luminous rays reflecting off the harsh, glass windows of newly built, towering skyscrapers. The river is still and the city, asleep…