💾 Archived View for tranarchy.fish › ~autumn › break › door.gmi captured on 2023-09-08 at 16:27:45. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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<- Back to break: a hypertext exercise in hyperempathy
the city starts to move again like spilled coffee crawling back into its cup. dim pre-morning light gives the roads no orientation, shadows not cast but merely left where they slept. the air feels like nearly-dry laundry - you feel unintrusive in your clothing still damp from the shower.
at the end of the street, a busier road, more random pieces of trash littering the street. grey-winged gulls untuck their necks to waddle behind a garbage truck, bin men hanging from the sides like sloth pups. a shop owner with a wedding ring steals an iambic glance as you walk by, presumably not wondering how you'd look with a few more energy drink stains.
you cross the street after a lone car crawls by. it begins to rain just a block before you reach the corner store, the bell above the doorway chiming your arrival. you push wet hair away from your face and shiver before walking up to the counter.
"hey, do you sell sleeping tablets? like, melatonin or something"
"i don't think we have anything with melatonin, you need to go to a doctor for that, but we do stock nytol, it's a herbal thing - just be careful, if you have a cat, make sure you don't leave it lying around. they don't mention that on the box."
you zoned out a little at the part about cats, but got the gist. "sure, where can i find that?"
the cashier looks deeply puzzled. "uh, hey buddy do you have a number i should call for someone to come pick you up?"
now equally puzzled, "huh? what do you mean"
"i feel like you might be having some kind of mental [break](.)"