u/gluestic8

Chapter I

What if it’s alive. Hurt. Dead – well I hope; it cannot have survived.

The most important thing is that I am alive. I am not there. My dream was seeing that colour another time, vibrant red it seems warm blood. Not mine though, the ceiling’s dripping again, I’ll cleanup tomorrow.

Nothing is more relaxing than a good night’s sleep, tucked into my blue blanket, a pair of warm socks on my feet, and a subtle, regular, sound of tiny droplets flickering on the ground, like little flies tapping on the glass not catching my hand’s hint to guide them around the window.

How powerful can dreams be? – a lot. Tonight’s show was memorable, lots of yellow, just as much pink, a little touch of grey – has never hurt nobody – and... green. I don’t like green; I used to wear it.

Ray always wakes me up.

Hi Ray, you know I love you, Ray. Why did you wake me up, Ray, what do you want? My water? I don’t have any water, I’m sorry.

Regardless of that, Ray, there is a lot to do today – starting from cleaning that mess up! Did you do this Ray? Why? Let me take care of it! It’s my apology for not leaving you any water, or food, for the last 3 days. You are kind of warm Ray; can I stay here a bit, Ray? I like this. What did you think would happen – huh – everything left me here, it’s not my fault that we are here, Ray, I told you before, they left.

I left.

Done! This floor has never been so lucid, at least, since I’ve come here yesterday! Oh, how proud would the owners be, how proud would the village be, if only – right Ray? – if only they could see this. Well, nothing I can change. Better find some food or I’ll starve to death! How hungry are you Ray, if my appetite is so strong yours must be triple! I remember I found something upstairs, do you like food, Ray?

Here comes the choo choo, open big big, as big as… please eat Ray. I don’t want to eat.

The last few years have been exhaustingly repetitive. 9 – 5, back and forth. Back and forth.

I swear, even my computer can’t stand seeing my face anymore. I can though, I love what I do, it’s just a bit tiring after a couple hours, not anything worrying, on Monday I should start fresh a new week!

For tonight I thought of something, I am going to treat myself right, this once. After work I stopped by Joe’s Groceryes’ to buy a couple of things, like a rib celery, a couple carrots, potatoes, a white onion and lastly a 1l bottle of olive oil. Card? – yes thanks Joe – I said – declined. How embarrassing. I thought I had enough to pay for it, I opted to take out the celery. I went back to aisle 2 to drop it off and thankfully it was enough of a sacrifice that I was able to pay and leave.

Savoury pie. That’s it! My delicious dinner, handmade, healthy, and, best of all, savoury.

The butter melts like butter – funny, I know – then some oil to keep it light, add in the onion, finely diced, add in the carrots, add in the cel… next step is salt and pepper! That’s too bad, I’m using spiced salt, much better for my likings.

Out the freezer is the meat, the second-to-best quality ground beef. How exquisite!

Add some tomato sauce, bake in the oven, once the whole is put in the pastries, then enjoy! A perfect meal for a perfect day, what’s on the TV, Interstellar, my favourite, I’ve seen it like 20 times, it’s also the president’s favourite. I love Murphy’s law. If something good can happen, it will; like the movie depicts in wonderful manner.

It’s almost July, I will be able to get on with my passion, I love painting landscapes and caricatures. I know, they are a tad different; nevertheless, both are so much fun. Sunshine is the critical detail almost everyone gets wrong. I like sunsets. Vermillion sunsets. Those long-shaped clouds, that reflection on small puddles after a short summer rain, intricacy and colouring, contrast and focal fog, a way to centre your eyes towards what I was looking at while painting it. It makes a connection between the painter and the viewer. A connection longed for by any artist. An unpaired connection representative of our transaction, the deal amongst our desire to express observations, and your need for satisfaction, a fullness felt after the realization of, how yours, our observations were.

For tomorrow I was thinking of going to paint by the river, same spot as always – it’s a twenty-minute drive – plus I still have enough colours for 3 or 4 small canvases, that’s more than enough.

The remote is beside a picture of me and my friends, right after the very last time we went skydiving together; most of them are married now, back when they were free. When we were free.

Oh – I don’t want to become nostalgic – what was on the TV? Right, interstellar, it’s almost live. I forgot my blanket, don’t know what I would have done if it started before I realized I forgot to take it, thankfully I’m still as smart as I was in school. Blanket’s on my bed, undone, I hardly ever have the will to make the bed, said so, I prefer it undone. Now, I’m comfy.

Film’s great, actors are amazing, and the story hits you just right: what if I was chosen to save the world, intriguing. I love these stories, these sci-fi apocalyptic scenarios, they are so adrenaline fulfilling, and they make you have thoughts so deep I find myself wondering of what I would have done, in their place. Of course we have all thought of how we could have done it better, how we could have saved the world faster, how nobody would have died if we were in command; but I like to think differently, I like to believe we all think similarly, and if they didn’t make a decision that I would have, it wasn’t because they were stupid, but because I was not in the same pressure to make it, or maybe I was just missing some context.

Of course it gets interrupted by Ads. Always advertisements; this one is about a new burger from my favourite fast food, that one is about a new pair of shoes, coming a bit late, I already have them. Ads used to be annoying, but since they became mandatory in the ‘38s, I’ve come to appreciate the art behind them, now I could say I’m an expert, often I compare older ads to newer ones and try to squeeze the best traits from both. I could become an advertiser, yes, I should, but the industry is full, heard this Wednesday 50 thousand applicants were refused, because already 19 hundred were taken, I like to stay informed.

Talking about information, if you’re reading this you probably know what’s happening in this time, I mean, a third cold war isn’t something to take lightly, you might have studied it at school, or your pops is extoling his training in every family gathering trying to prove others he had it worse. He did not. I think I did, I know military grad training isn’t the first choice for a student or any youngling, but think about my life, during the longest peace period ever, I mean, what is there to do? Aren’t politicians tired of doing nothing – about war – I mean?

I’ll answer it quickly, they are! How I know this? Well, today’s peace is not that stable right now. So why am I bored? I’m just too old to serve.

How I know it is not stable – that’s my thought though – is because what bureaucrats do, I believe, I would have done too; I mean, they are human, like me.

Why do I think so much of myself? Why do I think I could compete with the rulers of this world? I’ve never found an obstacle in learning, basically perfect GPA after I found my motivation. Before, I used to be unwilling to do anything, why would we ever learn the dectet rule in chemistry if we cannot even see the homeomeries that the positrons compose; it seemed all useless, but I later found out that knowledge is power, how so – would you ask – well, people who knew much more about a more vast spectrum of things, usually got higher paying jobs, not everyone though, you have to be lucky.

Oftentimes the rich would come to the city and, after advertising like hell their come, they would host different types of talent shows, usually some are held at the stadium, like dancers and performers, others are more school-test-like, such as physicists and mathematicians, alongside with writers, IT experts, and chemists, whose work isn’t as fun to watch but it’s equally as useful to them for their corporates.

I tried to win them, but as you might have deduced, millions apply each competition and only a handful even make it to the second selection, the final skim is of about 50 people per field. The furthest I’ve ever gotten was the finals in mathematics, when I was 27, I should still have the certificate somewhere, it is what gave me the possibility to have my current job. I am a statistician and my work is invaluable to declare the effectiveness of new trends and if they are worth investing into by the Duo.

So, my work is very important, it is going to be reviewed by the vice sub-assistant-appraiser, then it is going to climb the ladder of success, finally, if liked enough, it is going to reach the digital marketing supervisor’s desk.

The Duo has seen my work a couple times, each one I was given a trophy – oh, how considerate! – for reaching such highness. Maybe I shouldn’t write them as bad, they were the reason us, as human race, could develop so fast. Just last month the first man reached a whopping 15km deep underground, this new record smashes even the deepest point in the ocean, around 11km; the hole is said to be going to be used for polymeric waste disposal.

crit ([1733] sorry if i didn't catch the requirement before): https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/s/M11Qi4Evj0

CHAPTER I / Prologue

What if it’s alive. Hurt. Dead – well I hope; it cannot have survived.

The most important thing is that I am alive. I am not there. This was my dream – I mean, it wasn’t my dream to die – my dream was seeing that colour another time, vibrant red it seems warm blood. Not mine though, the ceiling’s dripping again, I’ll cleanup tomorrow, that’s what I say.

Nothing is more relaxing than a good night’s sleep, tucked into my blue blanket, a pair of warm socks on my feet, and a subtle, regular, sound of tiny droplets flickering on the ground, like little flies tapping on the glass not catching my hand’s hint to guide them around the window.

How powerful can dreams be? – a lot. Tonight’s show was memorable, lots of yellow, just as much pink, a little touch of grey – has never hurt nobody – and... green. I don’t like green; I used to wear it.

Ray always wakes me up.

Hi Ray, you know I love you, Ray. Why did you wake me up, Ray, what do you want? My water? I don’t have any water, I’m sorry.

Regardless of that, Ray, there is a lot to do today – starting from cleaning that mess up! Did you do this Ray? Why? So much blood, where did you even get this Ray, at the free-blood-for-everyone sales? Let me take care of it! It’s my apology for not leaving you any water, or food, for the last 3 days. You are kind of warm Ray; can I stay here a bit, Ray? I like this. What did you think would happen – huh – everything left me here, it’s not my fault that we are here, Ray, I told you before, they left.

I left.

Done! This floor has never been so lucid, at least, since I’ve come here yesterday! Oh, how proud would the owners be, how proud would the village be, if only – right Ray? – if only they could see this. Well, nothing I can change. Better find some food or I’ll starve to death! How hungry are you Ray, if my appetite is so strong yours must be triple! I remember I found something upstairs, do you like food, Ray?

Here comes the choo choo, open big big, as big as… please eat Ray. I don’t want to eat.

 

The last few years have been exhaustingly repetitive. 9 – 5, back and forth. Back and forth.

I swear, even my computer can’t stand seeing my face anymore. I can though, I love what I do, it’s just a bit tiring after a couple hours, not anything worrying, on Monday I should start fresh a new week!

For tonight I thought of something, I am going to treat myself right, this once. After work I stopped by Joe’s Groceryes’ to buy a couple of things, like a rib celery, a couple carrots, potatoes, a white onion and lastly a 1l bottle of olive oil. Card? – yes thanks Joe – I said – declined. How embarrassing. I thought I had enough to pay for it, I opted to take out the celery. I went back to aisle 2 to drop it off and thankfully it was enough of a sacrifice that I was able to pay and leave.

Savoury pie. That’s it! My delicious dinner, handmade, healthy, and, best of all, savoury. Frozen are the pastries, bought yesterday so I would not refuse to cook this the day after. I would never have wasted them.

The butter melts like butter – funny, I know – then some oil to keep it light, add in the onion, finely diced, add in the carrots, add in the cel… next step is salt and pepper! That’s too bad, I’m using spiced salt, much better for my likings.

Out the freezer is the meat, the second-to-best quality ground beef. How exquisite!

Add some tomato sauce, bake in the oven, once the whole is put in the pastries, then enjoy! A perfect meal for a perfect day, what’s on the TV, Interstellar, my favourite, I’ve seen it like 20 times, it’s also the president’s favourite. I love Murphy’s law. If something good can happen, it will; like the movie depicts in wonderful manner.

It’s almost July, I will be able to get on with my passion, I love painting landscapes and caricatures. I know, they are a tad different; nevertheless, both are so much fun. Sunshine is the critical detail almost everyone gets wrong. I like sunsets. Vermillion sunsets. Those long-shaped clouds, that reflection on small puddles after a short summer rain, intricacy and colouring, contrast and focal fog, a way to centre your eyes towards what I was looking at while painting it. It makes a connection between the painter and the viewer. A connection longed for by any artist. An unpaired connection representative of our transaction, the deal amongst our desire to express observations, and your need for satisfaction, a fullness felt after the realization of, how yours, our observations were.

For tomorrow I was thinking of going to paint by the river, same spot as always – it’s a twenty-minute drive – plus I still have enough colours for 3 or 4 small canvases, that’s more than enough.

The remote is beside a picture of me and my friends, right after the very last time we went skydiving together; most of them are married now, back when they were free. When we were free.

Oh – I don’t want to become nostalgic – what was on the TV? Right, interstellar, it’s almost live. I forgot my blanket, don’t know what I would have done if it started before I realized I forgot to take it, thankfully I’m still as smart as I was in school. Blanket’s on my bed, undone, I hardly ever have the will to make the bed, said so, I prefer it undone. Now, I’m comfy.

Film’s great, actors are amazing, and the story hits you just right: what if I was chosen to save the world, intriguing. I love these stories, these sci-fi apocalyptic scenarios, they are so adrenaline fulfilling, and they make you have thoughts so deep I find myself wondering of what I would have done, in their place. Of course we have all thought of how we could have done it better, how we could have saved the world faster, how nobody would have died if we were in command; but I like to think differently, I like to believe we all think similarly, and if they didn’t make a decision that I would have, it wasn’t because they were stupid, but because I was not in the same pressure to make it, or maybe I was just missing some context.

Of course it gets interrupted by Ads. Always advertisements; this one is about a new burger from my favourite fast food, that one is about a new pair of shoes, coming a bit late, I already have them. Ads used to be annoying, but since they became mandatory in the ‘38s, I’ve come to appreciate the art behind them, now I could say I’m an expert, often I compare older ads to newer ones and try to squeeze the best traits from both. I could become an advertiser, yes, I should, but the industry is full, heard this Wednesday 50 thousand applicants were refused, because already 19 hundred were taken, I like to stay informed.

Talking about information, if you’re reading this you probably know what’s happening in this time, I mean, a third cold war isn’t something to take lightly, you might have studied it at school, or your pops is extoling his training in every family gathering trying to prove others he had it worse. He did not. I think I did, I know military grad training isn’t the first choice for a student or any youngling, but think about my life, during the longest peace period ever, I mean, what is there to do? Aren’t politicians tired of doing nothing – about war – I mean?

I’ll answer it quickly, they are! How I know this? Well, today’s peace is not that stable right now. So why am I bored? I’m just too old to serve.

How I know it is not stable – that’s my thought though – is because what bureaucrats do, I believe, I would have done too; I mean, they are human, like me.

Why do I think so much of myself? Why do I think I could compete with the rulers of this world? I’ve never found an obstacle in learning, basically perfect GPA after I found my motivation. Before, I used to be unwilling to do anything, why would we ever learn the dectet rule in chemistry if we cannot even see the homeomeries that the positrons compose; it seemed all useless, but I later found out that knowledge is power, how so – would you ask – well, people who knew much more about a more vast spectrum of things, usually got higher paying jobs, not everyone though, you have to be lucky.

Oftentimes the rich would come to the city and, after advertising like hell their come, they would host different types of talent shows, usually some are held at the stadium, like dancers and performers, others are more school-test-like, such as physicists and mathematicians, alongside with writers, IT experts, and chemists, whose work isn’t as fun to watch but it’s equally as useful to them for their corporates.

I tried to win them, but as you might have deduced, millions apply each competition and only a handful even make it to the second selection, the final skim is of about 50 people per field. The furthest I’ve ever gotten was the finals in mathematics, when I was 27, I should still have the certificate somewhere, it is what gave me the possibility to have my current job. I am a statistician and my work is invaluable to declare the effectiveness of new trends and if they are worth investing into by the Duo.

So, my work is very important, it is going to be reviewed by the vice sub-assistant-appraiser, then it is going to climb the ladder of success, finally, if liked enough, it is going to reach the digital marketing supervisor’s desk.

The Duo has seen my work a couple times, each one I was given a trophy – oh, how considerate! – for reaching such highness. Maybe I shouldn’t write them as bad, they were the reason us, as human race, could develop so fast. Just last month the first man reached a whopping 15km deep underground, this new record smashes even the deepest point in the ocean, around 11km; the hole is said to be going to be used for polymeric waste disposal.

Polymers were the invention of the last century, they became our skin, our tools and even our food; did you know that? Before the Vancouver agreement, we used to eat processed – implasticified – meat, not for choice, but because we just could not care less. Industries had found a loophole, back then, plastic was easier to produce, more “humane” – they said – well, it is for the animals we reduced the killing of, but damn, they fed plastic to people – us “consumers” – as they called us. This is not even the saddest part. It was incentivized.

crit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1sva9cz/1733_down_by_the_river/