‘It’s not uncommon, when driving through Pennsylvania, to spot the most beautiful rainbow one has ever seen. Its lines are clear against the sky and there is a glow about it, even in the day, as though it were emitting eyewatering UV in other-than-violet tones. It’s difficult to look at. It’s difficult to look away from. This is all by design.
There is nothing natural about ‘The Everainbow.’ Some might say it is the antithesis of nature, both because it has capitalized on one of those few beautiful things nature gives freely, and because it tends to short-circuit bird brains, causing them to dive headfirst out of the sky. Its creators tried and failed to work the ‘gold at the end of the rainbow’ schtick early in ‘The Everainbow’s’ operation, claiming they were the first to make good on the old myth. When this didn’t sit well with audiences, the two men responsible simply deleted their social media accounts and retired to the comfortable silence of people who make too much money to worry about image.
‘The Everainbow’ is something to see- that can’t be argued. It undulates in the wind and shivers in the cold. It’s projected twice its normal size on a new moon and it lowers to half-mast in the wake of tragedies. A satellite radio program airs on Friday evenings and ‘The Everainbow’ moves to the beat of its songs. The program is at least 50% advertisements and ‘The Everainbow’ is known to contort itself to sell products.
The painful UV effect is the latest in ‘The Everainbow’s’ features, this one a government-mandated backfire meant to keep drivers from getting distracted. Accidents have doubled since it began to singe eyes and people living nearby have reported colorful, blistering tans after standing in the glow for too long.
Real estate in the area has skyrocketed. Every new product run across the arc is a success. Celebrities and influencers bathe in the light, trying to get the blistering tan just right. On Sunday mornings ‘The Everainbow’ streams a solemn list of people killed in Everainbow-related accidents. Mourners gather to capture the honor on camera.
‘The Everainbow’ can do no wrong in the eyes of the public. It has begun flickering coded messages and a cult is forming around them. Don’t listen to what ‘The Everainbow’ says in those dark spaces. It is lying and it wants the worst for you.’
-an excerpt, Autumn by the Wayside
