It began as a civil engineering error, until someone noticed it. A raised highway, crossing over local roads, was going up and up and not coming back down.

The foreman noticed first. He stared at it for a few minutes. He sat in his on-site office for a while. He spent a few hours taking measurements and calculating. Then he carefully said nothing, making the mistake into a dream.

Workers mentioned it, and the foreman said, “It keeps going up.” They shrugged. They were still getting paid.

After two months, the Assistant Director of Public Works started calling. Then the Director. Then the governor. “Where is it going?” they asked. “Don’t worry,” said the foreman, “it’s going where it needs to.” He didn’t say, “Up, and only up.” After the fifth month, they cut off the money.

The foreman stood at the unattached top of the highway and looked down to the ground below. He was up. It was as up as the highway was going to get. He smiled.

No one ever saw him come down. When they went up to find him, he wasn’t there.

Eventually, when justification of money was tight, they made it a public park.