The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided To
by Carl Sandburg · from Rootabaga Stories
Adapted Version
Once, there were two very tall buildings. They stood across the street from each other. Tall Building One was a friend. Tall Building Two was a friend. They talked in the day. They talked in the night. They whispered. They were good friends.
On Tall Building One, a metal goat stood. It was brass. On Tall Building Two, a metal goose stood. It was brass. The goat looked far away. The goose looked far away. They wanted to see the world.
The Wind was a friend to the buildings. The Wind came from far away. It told them many stories. The Wind made a promise. "I will not blow your animals away," it said. "Only if you are very sad. Very, very sad."
The two buildings wanted a child. They talked about it. They wanted a child that could move. Not stay still like them. They wanted it to go far away. To see many places. They wanted a free child.
Their child came. It was The Fast Train. It was very fast. It ran across big fields. It went to tall mountains. It went to the big blue sea. The train was free. Just like they wished.
The buildings were very happy. Their train child was free. It helped many people. It took them to many places. The buildings felt proud. They loved their child.
One day, sad news came. People talked loudly. The Fast Train had trouble. It could not run anymore. It was broken. It was very sad. The buildings heard the news.
The Wind blew a slow, sad song. It was a very, very sad sound. The Wind howled softly. The Wind was sad for the train. It made a sad noise.
Then the metal goat fell. It fell from the roof. The metal goose fell too. It fell from the roof. They lay on the street. Near each other. The buildings were very, very sad. Their hearts were broken. They missed their train child.
Original Story
The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided to
Have a Child
Two skyscrapers stood across the street from each other in the Village of Liver-and-Onions. In the daylight when the streets poured full of people buying and selling, these two skyscrapers talked with each other the same as mountains talk.
In the night time when all the people buying and selling were gone home and there were only policemen and taxicab drivers on the streets, in the night when a mist crept up the streets and threw a purple and gray wrapper over everything, in the night when the stars and the sky shook out sheets of purple and gray mist down over the town, then the two skyscrapers leaned toward each other and whispered.
Whether they whispered secrets to each other or whether they whispered simple things that you and I know and everybody knows, that is their secret. One thing is sure: they often were seen leaning toward each other and whispering in the night the same as mountains lean and whisper in the night.
High on the roof of one of the skyscrapers was a tin brass goat looking out across prairies, and silver blue lakes shining like blue porcelain breakfast plates, and out across silver snakes of winding rivers in the morning sun. And high on the roof of the other skyscraper was a tin brass goose looking out across prairies, and silver blue lakes shining like blue porcelain breakfast plates, and out across silver snakes of winding rivers in the morning sun.
Now the Northwest Wind was a friend of the two skyscrapers. Coming so far, coming five hundred miles in a few hours, coming so fast always while the skyscrapers were standing still, standing always on the same old street corners always, the Northwest Wind was a bringer of news.
“Well, I see the city is here yet,” the Northwest Wind would whistle to the skyscrapers.
And they would answer, “Yes, and are the mountains standing yet way out yonder where you come from, Wind?”
“Yes, the mountains are there yonder, and farther yonder is the sea, and the railroads are still going, still running across the prairie to the mountains, to the sea,” the Northwest Wind would answer.
And now there was a pledge made by the Northwest Wind to the two skyscrapers. Often the Northwest Wind shook the tin brass goat and shook the tin brass goose on top of the skyscrapers.
“Are you going to blow loose the tin brass goat on my roof?” one asked.
“Are you going to blow loose the tin brass goose on my roof?” the other asked.
“Oh, no,” the Northwest Wind laughed, first to one and then to the other, “if I ever blow loose your tin brass goat and if I ever blow loose your tin brass goose, it will be when I am sorry for you because you are up against hard luck and there is somebody’s funeral.”
So time passed on and the two skyscrapers stood with their feet among the policemen and the taxicabs, the people buying and selling,—the customers with parcels, packages and bundles—while away high on their roofs stood the goat and the goose looking out on silver blue lakes like blue porcelain breakfast plates and silver snakes of rivers winding in the morning sun.
So time passed on and the Northwest Wind kept coming, telling the news and making promises.
So time passed on. And the two skyscrapers decided to have a child.
And they decided when their child came it should be a free child.
“It must be a free child,” they said to each other. “It must not be a child standing still all its life on a street corner. Yes, if we have a child she must be free to run across the prairie, to the mountains, to the sea. Yes, it must be a free child.”
So time passed on. Their child came. It was a railroad train, the Golden Spike Limited, the fastest long distance train in the Rootabaga Country. It ran across the prairie, to the mountains, to the sea.
They were glad, the two skyscrapers were, glad to have a free child running away from the big city, far away to the mountains, far away to the sea, running as far as the farthest mountains and sea coasts touched by the Northwest Wind.
They were glad their child was useful, the two skyscrapers were, glad their child was carrying a thousand people a thousand miles a day, so when people spoke of the Golden Spike Limited, they spoke of it as a strong, lovely child.
Then time passed on. There came a day when the newsies yelled as though they were crazy. “Yah yah, blah blah, yoh yoh,” was what it sounded like to the two skyscrapers who never bothered much about what the newsies were yelling.
“Yah yah, blah blah, yoh yoh,” was the cry of the newsies that came up again to the tops of the skyscrapers.
At last the yelling of the newsies came so strong the skyscrapers listened and heard the newsies yammering, “All about the great train wreck! All about the Golden Spike disaster! Many lives lost! Many lives lost!”
And the Northwest Wind came howling a slow sad song. And late that afternoon a crowd of policemen, taxicab drivers, newsies and customers with bundles, all stood around talking and wondering about two things next to each other on the street car track in the middle of the street. One was a tin brass goat. The other was a tin brass goose. And they lay next to each other.
Story DNA
Plot Summary
Two skyscrapers, who communicate like mountains, decide to have a child that embodies freedom. Their child is born as the Golden Spike Limited, a fast, long-distance train that travels across vast landscapes, fulfilling their wish for a child not bound to a street corner. The Northwest Wind, their friend, had previously pledged that the tin brass animals on their roofs would only fall in times of great sorrow. When news breaks of a devastating train wreck involving the Golden Spike Limited, the tin brass goat and goose are found lying on the street, signifying the profound grief of the two skyscrapers.
Themes
Emotional Arc
joy to sorrow
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Carl Sandburg's 'Rootabaga Stories' often feature whimsical, surreal elements and American settings, blending folk tale traditions with modern industrial imagery.
Plot Beats (9)
- Two skyscrapers in the Village of Liver-and-Onions communicate with each other day and night.
- One skyscraper has a tin brass goat on its roof, and the other has a tin brass goose, both looking out at distant landscapes.
- The Northwest Wind is a friend to the skyscrapers, bringing news from far away and making a promise not to blow off their tin brass animals unless there is great sorrow.
- The skyscrapers decide to have a child, wishing for it to be a 'free' child, not confined to a street corner, but able to travel far.
- Their child is born as the Golden Spike Limited, the fastest long-distance train, fulfilling their wish for a free child that runs across prairies, to mountains, and to the sea.
- The skyscrapers are glad their child is free and useful, carrying many people great distances.
- One day, newsies begin yelling about a great train wreck, the 'Golden Spike disaster,' with many lives lost.
- The Northwest Wind howls a slow, sad song.
- The tin brass goat and goose are found lying next to each other on the street, having been blown loose, signifying the skyscrapers' deep grief over their child's fate.
Characters
First Skyscraper ★ protagonist
A tall, imposing skyscraper, one of two that stand across the street from each other in the Village of Liver-and-Onions. Its structure is likely made of steel and concrete, with numerous windows reflecting the city. It is a permanent fixture, standing still on its street corner.
Attire: N/A (building)
Wants: To connect with its counterpart, to understand the world beyond the city through the Wind's news, and to experience parenthood by having a 'free' child.
Flaw: Its stationary nature, which it projects onto its child, leading to a desire for freedom that ultimately results in tragedy.
Begins as a static observer, develops a desire for a 'free' child, experiences joy and pride in its child's freedom and usefulness, and ends in profound sorrow and loss.
Pensive, communicative (especially with its counterpart and the Wind), nurturing (desires a 'free child'), and ultimately sorrowful.
Image Prompt & Upload
A very tall, imposing, art deco style skyscraper, made of grey concrete and dark glass windows, standing upright and facing forward. High on its roof is a small, weathered tin brass goat sculpture, looking out. The skyscraper has a sense of quiet dignity. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Second Skyscraper ★ protagonist
A tall, imposing skyscraper, one of two that stand across the street from each other in the Village of Liver-and-Onions. Its structure is likely made of steel and concrete, with numerous windows reflecting the city. It is a permanent fixture, standing still on its street corner.
Attire: N/A (building)
Wants: To connect with its counterpart, to understand the world beyond the city through the Wind's news, and to experience parenthood by having a 'free' child.
Flaw: Its stationary nature, which it projects onto its child, leading to a desire for freedom that ultimately results in tragedy.
Begins as a static observer, develops a desire for a 'free' child, experiences joy and pride in its child's freedom and usefulness, and ends in profound sorrow and loss.
Pensive, communicative (especially with its counterpart and the Wind), nurturing (desires a 'free child'), and ultimately sorrowful.
Image Prompt & Upload
A very tall, imposing, art deco style skyscraper, made of grey concrete and dark glass windows, standing upright and facing forward. High on its roof is a small, weathered tin brass goose sculpture, looking out. The skyscraper has a sense of quiet dignity. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Northwest Wind ◆ supporting
Invisible, but its presence is felt through its speed and its ability to shake the tin brass goat and goose. It travels great distances rapidly.
Attire: N/A (wind)
Wants: To travel, observe the world, and share news with its skyscraper friends.
Flaw: Its inability to prevent tragedy, despite its promises and observations.
Begins as a cheerful messenger and friend, makes a promise about the tin brass figures, and ends by howling a slow sad song in response to tragedy, fulfilling its own prophecy.
Friendly, jovial (laughs), a bringer of news, makes promises, and ultimately expresses deep sorrow.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dynamic, swirling, invisible force of wind, indicated by a faint, translucent blue-grey aura and a few autumn leaves caught in its current, moving rapidly from left to right. No discernible face or body. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Golden Spike Limited ◆ supporting
A railroad train, specifically described as the 'fastest long distance train in the Rootabaga Country'. Implies a sleek, powerful, and likely golden-hued locomotive and passenger cars, designed for speed and carrying many people.
Attire: N/A (train)
Wants: To travel freely, carry people, and fulfill the skyscrapers' desire for a child that is not 'standing still'.
Flaw: Vulnerable to accidents and disasters, despite its strength and speed.
Begins as a symbol of freedom and usefulness, lives a life of purpose, and ends tragically in a great wreck.
Free, useful, strong, lovely (as described by people).
Image Prompt & Upload
A sleek, powerful, vintage steam locomotive, painted a gleaming gold with polished brass accents, facing forward and slightly to the right, full body visible. It has a distinctive 'spike' emblem on its front. Smoke billows from its smokestack. It appears to be in motion. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Village of Liver-and-Onions Street
A bustling city street lined with two towering skyscrapers, filled with people buying and selling during the day. At night, it becomes quiet, with only policemen and taxicab drivers, often shrouded in a purple and gray mist.
Mood: Busy and commercial by day, mysterious and quiet by night, with an underlying sense of observation and communication between the skyscrapers.
The primary setting for the skyscrapers' existence and their daily/nightly observations and conversations. The final scene of the story where the tin brass goat and goose are found.
Image Prompt & Upload
A wide, bustling city street in the Village of Liver-and-Onions, flanked by two immense, art deco-inspired skyscrapers with intricate stone carvings and numerous windows. The street below is a blur of activity with early 20th-century pedestrians, newsies, and taxicabs. Overhead, a soft, diffused daylight illuminates the scene, casting long, subtle shadows. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Skyscraper Rooftops
High above the city, the flat roofs of the two skyscrapers. One features a tin brass goat, the other a tin brass goose. From this vantage point, one can see vast prairies, silver-blue lakes shining like porcelain, and winding silver rivers under the morning sun.
Mood: Expansive, distant, and reflective, offering a sense of freedom and connection to the wider world beyond the city.
The place where the tin brass animals reside, symbolizing the skyscrapers' longing for freedom and connection to nature. The Northwest Wind interacts with the skyscrapers here.
Image Prompt & Upload
A high-angle view from a skyscraper rooftop, looking out over a vast, stylized landscape. In the foreground, a weathered tin brass goat statue stands on the edge of a flat, concrete roof. Beyond, endless prairies stretch to the horizon, dotted with shimmering, silver-blue lakes resembling polished porcelain, and winding, reflective rivers catching the golden light of a clear morning sun. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Rootabaga Country (Prairie, Mountains, Sea)
A vast, open landscape encompassing prairies, towering mountains, and the expansive sea. This is the realm of freedom and movement, traversed by the Golden Spike Limited.
Mood: Boundless, free, adventurous, representing the aspirations of the skyscrapers for their child.
The destination and domain of the skyscrapers' 'child,' the Golden Spike Limited, symbolizing freedom and utility.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sweeping landscape of the Rootabaga Country, featuring a wide, golden prairie stretching towards a distant range of rugged, snow-capped mountains under a clear, expansive sky. A gleaming, streamlined passenger train, the 'Golden Spike Limited,' cuts a path across the prairie on polished steel tracks, heading towards the mountains. The air is crisp and clear, with bright sunlight illuminating the scene. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
