Victoria Square

The city of Acheron is just of 375 years old. That doesn't mean much by global standards, but in North America it's practically ancient. The British crown realized the value of this location early on and devoted significant resources into developing the city in order to secure access to North American goods. Victoria Square was built as part of these efforts.

Originally envisioned as an open marketplace, the square is located just 2 blocks west of Olde Porte, which still functions today despite the larger and more modern port that now exissts on the other side of the isalnd. many of the original merchant buildings still line the square. They have all the elegance and dignity you would expect to find in Gerogian architecture, but also a solidity that speaks to the fronter in which they were constructed. British soldiers could keep the outpost safe from the Haudenosaunee attempts to relcaim native lands, but it was brick and mortar that protect royal subjects from the tundra-like winters of the far North.

At the east end of the square, separating it from the working class streets of Olde Porte, sits City Hall. This giant, brick monstrosity is beautiful in its own way, I suppose, although to me it feels more like a strange hybrid of military fortress and country estate than a municipal building. But perhaps that was the intention. City Hall looms over Victoria Square the way a king presides over his court. Everything and everyone entering or leaving Acheron would have passed through this square under the watchful eye of city leaders. Despite this, Victoria Square remains festive and inviting, and it is easy to see how it became the center of life in Acheron.

It's the life that is missing today.

I felt it as soon as I arrived. Travel brochures display picturesque scenes of smiling tourists and al fresco diners laughing in the sun while locals pass by on crowded sidewalks, but today the square is empty. Patio tables are stacked tightly against buildings. Souvenire stands revered for braving the coldest winter days are notably absent, and the narrow streets are entirely devoid of traffic.

It feels like that old Twilight Zone episode where the man wakes up and everyone is missing, except I know how I got here and why I came. Hours ago this area had been filled to capacity with families demanding their children be released from D.S.F. custody. Today's stillnes sonly emphaisezes the emotion that oozed from my tv screen last night. The righteous anger of those families could have torn this square apart if things had continued. Gun fire may have cleared the square for the night, but those kids are still in jail. It's only a matter of time before people are back in these streets. I plan to be here when it happens.