He stood in the kitchen like a statue, weathering the anxious winds. New spaces had energy, he believed that now. The kitchen overlooked a vast city lake, and beyond it: layers of hills and their flickering city lights. It all added up to deep unreality, pervasive and unsettling.

He’d moved most of his things in earlier. All that remained was a bed, bookcase, and dresser. Old anchors hauled up from port to port. Tomorrow would be easy.

The energy in this place had changed. Several months ago it seemed a creative haven: spacious, bright and impossibly comfortable. Lately though a cloud of darkness descended on him when he entered. After deciding to live here the entire okay fuck this it totally sucks. Start over:

“What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” inquired the madman from his perch above the bus station.

Dommy paid no attention as he looked down the street, hoping the bus would come and offer a valid excuse for getting the fuck out of here.

“Mine’s concrete.” The madman leapt off the perch and planted face first into the ground. Eating concrete. His favorite flavor.

Dommy moved away, acutely uncomfortable and possessing no ability to gracefully inquire if the madman was okay. Nobody else wanted to deal with the aftermath either so he felt he was in good company. He enjoyed being in good company, he was comfortable in good company.

He was late for work anyway. He was a customer sales SPECIALIST at Good Company, a large (huge, gigantic) multinational conglomerate corporation that sold feelings to the public. They were doing quite well and Dommy enjoyed being a part of Good Company’s mission: “BRINGING YOU WHAT YOU WANT.” The best part? Dommy got his feelings at a discounted rate: 10% off all top shelf feelings, 35% off mild feelings, and 50% off animal feelings (once per week).

Dommy had been working at Good Company for 3 months and he was amazed at the feelings that sold the best. When he started he imagined he would be filling orders for happiness and joy but they rarely came in. What was the best seller? By a long shot? What was it? RAGE was #1, followed closely by jealousy. People loved hating. They loved it. They loved it so much they hated it. RAGE was often sold at a 300% markup because Doxox McBox, Good Company’s FOUNDER & CEO, knew how to turn a profit. He followed the money. He didn’t care, and this philosophy trickled down into Good Company’s employees.

Dommy didn’t care about that. He was just glad to be working. He’d already forgotten about the incident at the bus stop because he was on the bus, thinking about getting to work and taking his discounted injection of contentment. Contentment was the most discounted product and on Fridays they were free! Today was not Friday but as soon as he took a hit of contentment that would not bother him. Most of Good Company’s sales staff agreed, contentment was the best one, so they spent their daily discounts on it. They REALLY enjoyed working at Good Company. So much so that they saw no need to sample patience or thinking (these products were exempt from the discounts anyway so what was the point?).

The bus rolled on up to Good Company’s local branch, a nondescript white building that advertised nothing of what was held inside.