Week 1
It read on a parched piece of paper. A boy was drawn on it too, carrying a smile as wide as ever. Nothing else was stuck onto the brick wall, just that piece of paper. “What ya looking at?” Magnis said as I continued to walk down the street. He donned a crisp fedora and always carried a weathered briefcase, particularly in the corner with him. He never told anyone what was in it either.
“Nothing much,” I said. “Just another flier by the DRO.”
“What’s in it now? A quick way to get rich?”
“Nope, just small little jobs.”
Magnis pivoted and looked right at me with his wrinkly eyes. “Y’know, day by day those guys are gonna leave us with nothing in our pockets. Absolutely nothing.”
I smirked, and so did he. It was true though; the DRO kept on promising a lot but had been giving almost nothing. Last year, they even came out with reports to show their progress. Some technicians refuted the claims and were never seen again. Sleazy if you ask me.
“I hope the same happens with the DRO,” I said. “They get left with nothing in their pockets.”
“Well, wouldn’t that also be worse for us?” Magnis said. “After that war in Europe, it was the DRO that helped our soldiers. If they’re done, then we’re done.”
“That’s why Roosevelt added them? To help our soldiers?”
“For the most part, yeah. I’m sure of it.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Still hate them though.” The two of us chuckled.
Magnis and I took turns talking before he took a left and I kept walking ahead. The sweet smell of factory oils never got old. Oh, how sweet they were (enough to burn your throat). Constant yelling from vendors and the occasional beep from a car’s horn gave you everything in the world to stay distracted. Except for that flier—it stayed in the back of my mind.
“Save Yourself!”
Yeah, I wonder how I would do that.
But it didn’t take long for that thought to escape from my head. It didn’t take long for the yells to fade either or even for the clustered streets themselves to simply disappear. It all happened before I could even look at my own hands.
I couldn’t see anything, feel anything, nor was I anywhere. Nothing was what it was.
When I awoke to my senses, it was midnight. I was lying on my bed. The only light that came into the room was from the streets down below. Rats squeaked around, but that wasn’t my main concern.
I was sore. Real sore.
My back hurt, especially the lower part, which ached. I could barely raise my arms over my shoulders, and worst of all, I winced every time I turned my neck. So I just lay there and closed my eyes. What could I do to “save” myself from this?
By the time I met Magnis in the morning, a new flier was stuck onto the brick wall.
“Save Yourself! Take Control!” it read. This time, a boy wasn’t on it, but instead a man who grinned and flexed his arms.
“A different one?” Magnis said, hugging his briefcase. Today he had a more beat-up fedora on.
“Yep,” I said.
“What’re you gonna do with it?”
“Take it.” And so I did. With a simple tug, I ripped the flier from the wall, folded it, and stuffed it in my pocket.
“What?” Magnis shouted. “You can’t just rip something off the wall. Do you not know how frugal the DRO is?”
I scoffed at Magnis and continued walking. He was real quiet this time and soon took a left turn to his work. By the time his fedora left my gaze, my heart started to beat faster and faster and faster. Almost too fast.
I was ready. Anytime now, it would all start disappearing. First the yells of vendors and then the streets—it was all going to fade. At least that’s what I thought.
Instead, I woke up once again in my bedroom. And I was sore once again. My coat was even hung onto the frame of my bed, but surely I couldn’t have done it. My arms simply hurt too much. All I could do was just massage them all night, hoping they wouldn’t ache in the morning.
At dawn, a grin appeared on my face as my arms surprisingly felt better. And that smile stayed while I met Magnis. He didn’t have his fedora on, revealing his slightly receding hairline. But neither of us cared about work today. Why? It was the start of the weekend, that’s why.
“Gonna take another one?” Magnis said, meeting me near the brick wall.
I shook my head and began to walk alongside him. Well, at least I tried. The weekend meant people. Lots of people. Imagine taking the entire population of the city and squeezing them onto every single street. It was always a sensory overload.
“Where’re we going tonight?” I said.
“I found a nice spot on my way to work yesterday. Shouldn’t be too crowded like the others.”
Magnis seemed a bit too jumpy; anyone could tell by his walk. He kept rubbing his head too, sending his hair into a mess. I let it go, though. He must’ve been glad to be off work. I sure as hell knew that I was.
What started as a windy, sun-setting dusk turned into freezing midnight by the time we got to the place. I wasn’t too keen on walking for so long, but Magnis insisted that it would be worth it.
“Oh, the drinks are just fantastic,” Magnis said as he opened the doors. They were covered with beautiful woodwork. Fascinating.
A warm breeze welcomed us in along with the soft tunes of a piano. Next to the musician, a man sang in low hums. It was quite the place. Tables were tucked away in the corners of the room, letting a wide-open space run free in the middle. And everyone was dressed all formal-like. Unfortunately, Magnis and I weren’t. The music paused for a little as we walked down a stairway to the bar, but soon enough it started back up again. I almost missed the bottom step due to the dim lights. They reminded me of my place.
Magnis pulled a couple of stools from underneath the counter and offered me a seat.
“You first,” I said. But he urged me to sit down first. Our quarrel went back and forth until one of the bartenders offered us a drink. She had long locks, the curly kind, and her eyes glowed a faint hazel. Looking at her, Magnis sat down first.
“We’re new here,” I said. “Is there anything in particular we should try?”
“Sure thing,” she said while pulling out one of the menus.
But before she could, a piece of paper fell out of my coat as I took it off. And sure enough, it was the flier. The bartender paused while Magnis glared at me. I couldn’t do anything except smile. Her gaze went from me to the flier, and she soon picked it up.
“Ah, so you’re that kind of customer,” she said. “Work’s been tough lately?”
I laughed and nodded.
“I have the thing just for you.”
The bartender pulled out a bottle, using it to pour us a few drinks.
“Drink these for now,” she said.
Magnis and I cheered and took a shot. After a few more, we were fast asleep on the table.
Opening my eyes, Magnis was dragging me back to my home. He laid me against the door as he unlocked it. With a click, the door flew open and he led me inside.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Magnis said.
I nodded.
And so he turned off the lights and shut the door. But as I stumbled across the room, I fell flat against the floor, slamming my head against my bed frame. I covered my head with both of my hands, tapping one side of it. It hurt a bit and felt numb to the touch—a tingle of sorts.
I let out a sigh.
Weekends were the best, and before I could get back up, I was sleeping like a pig.
Week 2
Monday was like any other day. Magnis and I met, we talked, and then he turned left. I was about to mention my slightly bruised head, but I didn’t. Regardless, I still expected to wake up on my bed in a few moments. But none of it happened. The hollering of vendors didn’t fade, and the streets didn’t vanish. I was just standing in the middle of it all. I smirked and closed my eyes. Surely I would wake up in my bed, right? I kept my eyes closed and counted to five. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Opening my eyes, I covered my mouth and stood still. I wasn’t in my bedroom. It wasn’t midnight. I was in an office. A gray, bleak office. Papers flew around, cubicles were lined up in columns and rows, and not a single sound could be heard. Almost everyone there was glued to their desks, a bright light emanating from the side of their heads. From left to right, I scanned the office to find an exit. There weren’t any signs, just a single door. And so I ran to it.
The crowds had vanished. The smells had vanished. It was all so quiet. Each step I took sent a chill down my spine. But I soon began to sprint as I heard a few voices from down the street. Whoever or whatever it was, I didn’t have the time to get caught. By the time I ran back to my home, a few people were starting to return from their work. Still, a light loomed around their heads. Before I could enter my apartment, I saw a man with a fedora and a briefcase walking around. It was Magnis.
“Hey, Magnis!” I said.
I got no reply.
“Ay, buddy!”
Still no reply.
I didn’t bother saying anything else once I saw a faint glow beaming from his head. I wasn’t sure what to do. If Magnis had it and so did everyone else, then what happened to me? Why am I awake?
I spent the next few minutes following Magnis. He would have to wake up at some point. Maybe at his house? I had been there a couple of times. I was sure he wouldn’t mind.
Well, he did.
“Why’re you at my house?” he said. “And why at this hour?”
“I can explain, but you have to listen to me first,” I said, calming him down.
“I don’t give a damn. Leave now!”
“I woke up in the middle of my work today.”
“What do you mean woke up? I do that all the time.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do all my work and have a coffee break sometimes. Some days things start to get hazy, but most of the time it feels like a dream.”
“No, no, no.” I sat on the side of his bed. “It was like something was controlling me. And I snapped out of it.”
Magnis just stared at me.
“Listen, pal,” he said. “I think you need to get some sleep. I know work can be tough sometimes, but you just need some rest. You’ll be all good in the morning.”
I sighed and left, hoping it would be all good in the morning.
The next day, I didn’t go out to meet Magnis or even get ready for work. Soon, dawn turned into day, and the day turned into night. My room was once again pitch black, and I simply didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, three knocks banged at my door.
One!
Two!
Three!
My head snapped toward the door, my eyes glued to its handle.
“Coming!” I said, quickly putting on my coat and brushing my hand through my hair.
My steps were slow and wary. Did someone find out? Was it Magnis? Whoever it was, I just didn’t want to get caught.
“Hi,” I said, slowly opening the door. Two men stood side by side, wearing a fedora just like Magnis’.
“Are you Mr. Simeon?” one of the men said, a thick accent shrouding his words.
“Yes, I am.”
“We come from the Department of Relief Organizations, and your work has marked you as ‘N/A Not Available.’ Is there a reason why?”
“Well, that’s certainly odd.” My words quivered.
“Mr. Simeon, can we come inside? As a member of our city, we need to make sure you’re doing all right.”
“Certainly.” I swung the door wide open and let them in. I was shaking. One of the men even commented on it, but I blamed the cold winds. Inside, the two began to walk around, inspecting my desk, my bed, and even my clothes. Meanwhile, I stayed close to the door.
“Mr. Simeon, do you always hang your coat like this?” the second man said. He had a much younger voice than his colleague.
“Yes, all the time,” I said.
“And the same goes with all of your other clothes?”
“Yes.”
“What about this?” The other man pointed to a corner of my bed frame. It was chipped.
“Oh, I fell the other day. Hit it on the way down.”
“And where exactly did you hit yourself?”
“Right here on the side of my head.” I tapped my temple. It was still numb.
The two men stood still, looking at each other and then at me.
“Mr. Simeon, I think you’ll need to come with us.” One of the men reached inside his pocket.
“What for?” I inched closer to the door.
“A routine health checkup.”
With a click, I turned the doorknob, and I was sure they heard it too. Swinging it open, I ran out the door, sprinting to the nearest street. My heart raced, and my legs could barely keep up. To make it worse, it was dark and cold. The only flashes of warmth I could feel were underneath the streetlights that guided my path. I wasn’t even able to look back. I just needed to go somewhere—someplace.
Within a few moments, I stumbled across an intersection. One way went left, and the other way went right. I knew Magnis lived on the right, but what if he wouldn’t believe me again? Would he even let me in? With each second passing, I could hear the men’s steps getting closer and closer. I had to pick, and I chose right.
“Magnis!” I yelled, pounding my fist on his door. “Magnis, please open up!”
“Wait, give me a second!” Magnis said, hearing his voice gave me some relief.
The men’s steps got closer, and I could even start hearing their voices. Soon, the door clicked, and I dove inside. He shouted and quickly closed the door.
“Why are you here?” he said. “And why at this hour?”
“I—” I paused, trying to catch my breath.
“I need your help. There are these two men who are chasing me. I think they’re from the DRO.”
“Wait, what do they look like?”
“They’re in these suits and have fedoras on. One of them has this really thick accent. Irish maybe?”
“Huh, I think those guys came to me as well.”
“What?” My heart began racing again. It seemed like it was skipping a few beats too.
“Yeah, they were asking me about you. I was gonna tell you in the morning.”
Right as I was about to speak, three knocks came from the door.
One!
Two!
Three!
“Mr. Magnis, can we please talk to you?” It was the men. They found me.
“Give me a minute!” Magnis said.
I covered his mouth. “What’re you doing?”
“I gotta open it.” Magnis removed my hands.
“Why? The DRO’s gonna take us both!”
“Yeah,” Magnis looked at me. “But at least they pay me enough.”
I wanted to speak, but nothing came out. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t.
Magnis opened his door, and the two men rushed in, both carrying some kind of baton. I could only watch as bright flashes blinded my eyes.
My vision began to vanish, starting from my peripherals and slowly creeping into the middle. My arms numbed, tingling at the ends. I couldn’t see anything, feel anything, nor was I anywhere. Nothing was what it was.
Week 3 1
The morning breeze was refreshing, cold, and crisp. It was the kind that burnt a bit on the way down. As usual, vendors hollered away, and the smells of factory oils forced me to hold my breath for a few seconds. And like every morning, I grabbed my briefcase, put on my fedora, and walked all the way to work. But today was different. A man stood next to a brick wall, reading the countless fliers attached to it. By the way he frantically looked around, he seemed new. Desperate.
“Hi,” I said, taking off my fedora.
The man nodded and continued staring at the fliers.
“You new here?”
“Yeah, came here for some work,” his voice was deep, hollow. “It’s rough out in the fields. Can’t even feed myself.”
“Are you here with a family or just alone?”
“Just alone.” He grinned.
“That’s great. Y’know, I work with some companies—marketing and stuff. I could help you with finding something to do.” I pointed to my briefcase.
“Are folk always this kind around here?”
“Depends on the day.” I laughed, and so did he.
“What’s your name?”
“Simeon, yours?”
“Almuson.”
“Which one are you looking at?” I pointed to the fliers.
“This one.” He ripped a parched piece of paper off the wall. “Looks like it has a boy on it or something.”
“Oh, what does it say?” I asked.
“Save Yourself! Save Your Future!”
