I roam the streets of Downtown El Paso. Everyone is on their phones trying to catch the latest Pokémon spotted. A Charizard. Not only are there people my age who grew up with Pokémon, but older people are trying to swipe the ball across the screen. Younger people run around with the screen right in their eyes. It’s a warm night, but the cucumber lemonade stand helps everyone quench their thirst. The line is long, and the game keeps everyone distracted while they wait.

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Random people join my friends and me, and we all walk with our phones in front of us. The streets shine with the essence of a community coming together to achieve a task that carries little weight in the real world – yet the problems of yesterday, today, and possibly tomorrow are nowhere to be spotted. The occasional worker from one of the many restaurants joins the groups hoarding the streets. 

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I stop to take in the movement of the crowds around me, moving in every direction. Time pauses with me, but only for a moment, as if it is being scrutinized for not staying busy at work. It hits me that I will never see the smiles across the faces of these strangers again. The sky is a perfect shade of violet that has cast a veil of peace over the downtown area. The rush of people does not bother me in the slightest because I have no sense of urgency. There are still people flooding Downtown El Paso to join the latest buzz of Pokémon Go! Something about taking that initial step something I’d been waiting for feels refreshing. I never want to leave this moment. 

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A friend of mine decides to walk between the buildings to look for a way up. We find one not too far from San Jacinto Plaza. I struggle to climb up at first because heights have never been my strong suit. Yet, the rush I get from climbing the ladder gives me the boost I need to reach the top.

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“What a view,” someone says.

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“Look at all the lights!” From where we’re standing, we can see the lit-up star on the mountain. Everyone at the plaza is running around catching Pokémon.

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We decide to continue our adventure, so we enter the abandoned building. It smells rustic and old, with debris in every direction. The only light source comes from our phones and any light seeping through the windows. We pick up anything we can find to inspect. There are rooms smaller than a closet and other rooms as big as a lobby. The crowds outside seem faint inside the building, devoid of noise. Finally, we make our way out the same way we came in. The world around me returns to normal as we step outside. 

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We head back to the car late into the night. Everyone else seems to be doing the same. Some are still laughing and shouting excitedly over the latest Pokémon they caught. The drive through downtown is magical, with its tall buildings and lights illuminating every crevice of the sidewalks. I sit in the backseat and look out the window. I turn my head back as downtown shrinks in the rearview. I lean against the seat as the outside world speeds down the highway towards the end of the night.