Cheatsheet

Cheatsheet is a city of condensed knowledge, where the libraries contain no books, only index cards. The buildings are covered in graffiti, but it is not art; it is a dense, scribbled shorthand of instructions on how to survive. "To open the door, press left-right-left," reads the lintel of the bakery. "To stop the rain, sing the third verse," is carved into the fountain. The inhabitants are always in a hurry, running from one task to another with a desperate efficiency, clutching crumpled pieces of paper that tell them exactly what to do next.

The city is a labyrinth of shortcuts. There are tunnels that bypass entire districts and bridges that connect the cellar of one house to the attic of another three streets away. Visitors are often baffled by the lack of explanation; here, the how is everything, and the why is forgotten. The people of Cheatsheet do not learn; they look up. They believe that for every problem in the universe, there is a simple, one-line solution written somewhere on a wall, if only one can find it before the sun goes down.