In the briny backstreets of Muchado, one of the most downtrodden areas you could possibly misplace your car keys in, locals disclose that home-bred gloom is the kindling for all-out brawls.
In this part of town, feeling down isn’t just a mood, it’s a full-time occupation. The locals, known affectionately as the Mucha-Mopers, reside in the deep-sea trenches of melancholy where miffed youngsters prefer to spend their time scribbling sad faces on walls rather than attending school workshops on “how to smile.”
The epicentre of doom in Muchado is called, quite fittingly, Bleak Boulevard. This is the point where the atmosphere is so dense with despair; it could turn a professional clown’s red nose blue. It’s in this turbulent terrain that barbecues and block parties often transform into full-blown riots, featuring a grand variety of flying household objects, the likes of which would make an IKEA catalogue blush with envy.
Also, guess who the locals blame? Right you are – the enchanting Chicken Little who, transfixed by the falling sky, failed to notice she was appointed the mayor.
Chicken Little, the most far-removed from reality local politician, exists in a world where the same sky she believes is falling, is a vibrant shade of pink. She insists that the riots are nothing more than a spirited street performance, a colourful fusion of interpretive dance and furniture juggling. She claims her administration is on the brink of a breakthrough with the Mucha-Mopers, which everyone firmly believes… as much as they’d believe a hamster could captain the Starship Enterprise.
Despite her well-intentioned ignorance, much of the neighbourhood’s discontent can be traced back to her. Her reign has been marked by an increasing lack of opportunities, decaying public services and a wildly fluctuating pigeon population. While Little argues that the spikes in bird population show how close she is to nature, locals view it as a metaphor for their fluctuating hopes: one day up in the sky, the next, pooped on by life.
So while on the surface, Muchado may look like just another mournful neighbourhood, being there and experiencing the rampant melancholy is an entirely different kettle of fish. It’s no surprise that emotions are running high among Mucha-Mopers, causing brawls to break out faster than free donuts in a police station.
However, don’t let this dour tale of woeful woe lead you to believe that all hope is lost for Muchado. After all, behind every cloud, there might just be another darn cloud. But rain or shine, the Mucha-Mopers are nothing if not resilient. And who knows, perhaps one day, riding high on the wings of a pigeon, those broken dreams might just take flight again.
