Maze woke slowly.

The first thing she heard was the birds.

Their songs came through the open window in short bursts, mixing with the distant sounds of the street. Someone was walking outside. She could hear footsteps passing along the pavement, followed by fragments of conversation that were too muffled to understand.

For a few seconds, Maze didn't open her eyes.

Her blanket was warm.

Comfortably warm.

It rested heavily over her body, holding her against the mattress. The bed felt almost too comfortable to leave, as though the last traces of sleep were still trying to pull her back beneath it.

*Just a little longer.*

Her body seemed to be asking for just a few more minutes.

Then a breeze slipped across her face.

Maze frowned.

The air was cold.

Fresh.

It moved gently through the room, brushing against her skin before disappearing beneath the blanket.

She opened her eyes.

The window was open.

The curtain beside it swayed in the breeze, lifting slightly before falling back toward the wall.

It moved again.

Then again.

Maze stared at it for a moment.

Another gust entered the room.

She could hear the faint rustling of the curtain, the birds outside, and the occasional voice from the street below.

She slowly sat up.

Her hair was messy from sleep.

She rubbed one eye and looked toward the window.

Someone was sitting there.

Maze froze.

Eliezer.

He was perched casually on the window frame as though he had been there the entire morning.

One of his legs was inside the room.

The other hung outside.

His back rested against the side of the frame while he looked out at the street, completely comfortable with the fact that he was sitting halfway between the inside and outside world.

Maze stared at him.

Eliezer didn't turn around.

"Morning."

Maze couldn't hear him.

She climbed out of bed.

Her feet touched the cold floor.

A small shiver ran through her.

She walked toward the bathroom without saying anything.

Behind her, Eliezer continued staring through the window.

The curtain brushed against his shoulder as another breeze passed through the room.

"You know, Maze," he said casually, "I'm pretty much grateful for this day."

Maze disappeared into the bathroom.

Eliezer looked toward the sky.

"It's a beautiful one."

A moment passed.

"It just reminds me of that one line from the big book."

Maze came back out of the bathroom.

She walked past the window and returned to her bed.

Eliezer watched her.

"You didn't wash your hands."

Maze didn't react.

She simply began fixing her bed.

She pulled the blanket straight, smoothing out the wrinkles with both hands before adjusting the pillow.

Eliezer shrugged.

"Okay. Weird."

He looked back outside.

"Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

Maze continued making her bed.

She rubbed her nose.

Eliezer stared at her for another second.

"Matthew."

Maze opened her wardrobe.

She moved the clothes hanging inside from one side to the other, searching for something to wear.

"Today already has enough worries."

She pulled one shirt forward.

"And now you're changing clothes."

Eliezer turned his attention back toward the window.

"How nice it is to be you."

Maze took the shirt from the wardrobe.

She turned away from the window and began changing.

Eliezer remained where he was.

He kept his eyes fixed on the blue sky outside.

The morning sunlight spilled across his face.

A faint breeze moved through the room again.

The curtain fluttered beside him.

"And I'm up here," Eliezer said, staring at the sky, "walking around naked."

Maze pulled the shirt down over herself.

The fabric slapped softly against her skin as she adjusted it.

She finished getting dressed.

Then she walked toward the door.

Her hand wrapped around the handle.

The old hinges complained as she pulled it open.

Screeeeech.

Maze stepped into the hallway.

The door slowly swung behind her.

Eliezer remained at the window.

One leg inside.

One leg outside.

Still staring at the morning sky.

Maze opened the refrigerator.

Cold air rushed out and brushed against her face.

Then came the smell.

It spread through the kitchen almost immediately, escaping into the rest of the house.

Salad.

Lettuce.

Tomatoes.

Nice spices mixed together.

It smelled surprisingly good.

Maze breathed in through her nose.

Her stomach growled.

Loudly.

She looked down at herself.

"Damn."

She hadn't realized how hungry she was.

Maze stared into the refrigerator.

It was almost empty.

Her stomach tightened again.

There was an uncomfortable hollow feeling inside her, as though something had been scooped out of her body and left nothing behind.

It almost felt like her organs were missing.

Her stomach seemed to have shrunk until it was no bigger than her fist.

Maze pressed her palm against it.

The uncomfortable sensation remained.

She looked through the shelves again.

Nothing.

She was about to close the refrigerator when she noticed something sitting at the top.

A large red bowl.

Maze reached inside and carefully pulled it forward.

She brought it down and looked inside.

Salad.

The same smell that had filled the kitchen.

But the food didn't look nearly as good anymore.

The lettuce had gone limp.

The tomatoes looked tired and soft.

Maze stared at it.

She wasn't eating that.

She moved the bowl aside.

Then she noticed something behind it.

White.

Maze leaned closer.

She reached behind the red bowl and pulled it out.

Seven slices of bread.

She stared at them.

For a moment, the empty feeling in her stomach seemed a little less hopeless.

"Alright."

She placed the bread on the counter.

Then she began making her food.

Eliezer came walking behind her, yawning as he entered the kitchen.

He rubbed his face lazily before glancing toward the sitting room.

Johan and Margaret were gone.

The room was empty.

"Well, well."

Eliezer looked back toward Maze.

"Seems your mom and Johan have decided to take a walk, huh?"

Maze remained busy at the kitchen counter.

She moved between the ingredients, preparing her food while quietly dancing to herself.

Her shoulders moved from side to side.

Then her hips.

Nothing dramatic.

Just enough to make the whole process feel less like making breakfast and more like she was enjoying herself.

Eliezer watched her for a moment.

"Seems you're feeling okay today."

Maze continued moving around the kitchen, completely unaware of him.

"Like a white stallion after a run at the beach."

Eliezer nodded to himself.

"Yeah."

He turned away from the kitchen.

He walked into the sitting room and dropped himself onto the couch.

The cushions sank beneath his weight.

He stretched his legs out and settled in.

The television was already playing.

Its light flickered across the empty room as voices came from the speakers.

Eliezer stared at the screen.

Behind him, Maze continued preparing her food.

Her movements remained light.

The kitchen filled with the small sounds of breakfast being made—the shifting of utensils, cupboards opening and closing, and the occasional soft movement of her feet against the floor.

Eliezer watched the television.

Then, without looking back toward the kitchen, he smiled.

"White stallion."

Eliezer was still watching the television when Maze came walking into the sitting room.

She was chewing on a piece of sweet bread with jam and margarine.

The bread was soft and slightly sticky between her teeth.

Maze liked it that way.

She had never understood why so many people liked putting peanut butter together with jam.

To her, it was weird.

Odd.

She took another bite.

Then she looked around.

Her chewing slowed.

The table immediately caught her attention.

It was covered in pills and empty cans.

Some of the cans had been left open.

Others had been knocked onto their sides, their bottoms sticking to the surface of the table from whatever had spilled out of them.

The pills were scattered everywhere.

Maze stared at the mess.

Her nose wrinkled.

Disgust crawled across her face.

She swallowed the piece of bread in her mouth.

"Ugh."

Eliezer looked toward the table.

"Yeah, I know it's dirty here."

Maze couldn't hear him.

"Dirtiness is close to deviliness."

Maze continued staring at the room.

The couch was dirty.

The floor was covered with bits of rubbish.

There were cans underneath the table and things lying around that had clearly been there long enough for everyone to stop noticing them.

Maze slowly exhaled.

She looked down at the bread in her hand.

Then toward the kitchen.

She walked back and placed the remaining bread inside the refrigerator.

She closed the door.

For a moment, she stood there.

Then she looked back into the sitting room.

The mess was still there.

Maze sighed.

She walked back.

She found a pair of gloves and pulled them over her hands.

Then she grabbed the broom.

The first stroke dragged a collection of dirt and rubbish across the floor.

Scrrrrtt.

Maze pushed it into a small pile.

She picked up the empty cans one by one.

Then she moved toward the couch.

She grabbed its edge.

The couch shifted slightly.

Maze pulled harder.

The heavy piece of furniture lifted from one side.

Eliezer was sitting directly on it.

He didn't move.

The couch rose beneath him.

Eliezer simply continued watching the television.

Maze kept her attention on the floor beneath the couch.

Dust had gathered underneath it.

Bits of rubbish had been pushed into the corners.

She began sweeping them out.

Eliezer looked down at her.

"You sure do love cleaning a lot."

Maze didn't react.

She couldn't hear him.

She continued sweeping.

The broom scraped across the floor again and again as she slowly worked her way through the room.

Eliezer smiled and turned his attention back to the television.

Maze kept cleaning.

It didn't take long for Maze to finish cleaning.

The sitting room looked completely different.

The table had been cleared.

The empty cans were gone.

The pills had been gathered up.

The floor was clean again, and the couch no longer looked like something that had been abandoned for years.

Maze stood in the middle of the room for a moment, looking around at her work.

She nodded slightly.

*Much better.*

She returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

Her bread was still there.

She took it out and walked back into the sitting room.

Eliezer was still sitting on the couch.

Maze sat down beside him.

He looked around the room.

"Looking good."

He glanced at the now-clean table and lifted his legs onto it.

"Just like a poltergeist."

He leaned back.

"I felt cold, but now warm."

Maze didn't hear him.

She took a bite of her bread.

Eliezer looked at it.

"That looks yummy."

Maze continued chewing as she watched the cartoons playing on the television.

The colors from the screen reflected softly across her face.

For a while, she simply sat there.

No mess.

No cleaning.

No searching for anything.

Just the television.

Her bread.

The quiet room.

She finished eating and sank deeper into the couch.

Her body relaxed against the cushions.

Eliezer watched her.

"There's nothing like peace in the middle of chaos."

Maze slowly closed her eyes.

For a moment, it looked like she had already fallen asleep.

Her breathing became slower.

Her head rested against the couch.

Then—

Rrrrring!

Maze's eyes opened.

She didn't move immediately.

The ringing continued.

Rrrrring!

It was coming from her bedroom.

Maze blinked several times, still trying to pull herself out of the sleep that had almost taken her.

It took roughly nine seconds before she finally seemed to realize what was happening.

Then she stood.

She immediately ran toward her bedroom.

The phone kept ringing.

Maze grabbed it.

"Nadia?"

"Heyyy, Maze!"

Nadia's voice came through the phone, energetic as always.

"So, I was thinking we should meet up today."

Maze sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I've got this huge shopping thing I have to do, and you might as well join me, girl!"

Nadia laughed.

"And Erlin is coming, so don't forget your no-bitch face."

Maze smiled faintly.

She glanced toward the clock beside her bed.

9:12 AM.

"Will it be only the three of us?"

She stood and left the bedroom, walking toward the kitchen.

Eliezer remained on the couch.

Nadia answered immediately.

"No. Last time I remember, Candice planned to join us."

She paused.

"I'm not completely sure, though. You know her."

Maze opened the refrigerator.

"She can be introverted sometimes."

Nadia continued talking.

"She might decide she's tired and just sit at home the whole day."

A small laugh came through the phone.

"You know her, Maze."

Maze stared into the refrigerator.

"I was actually thinking of going to PrimePicks today and getting some groceries."

"Come on, girl."

Nadia's voice became playful.

"You know without you here we're bored."

Maze smiled slightly.

"You keep the team full of smiles instead of those rich-girl vibes, which you know I hate."

Maze closed the refrigerator.

"Sorry, girl."

There was a short silence.

"What do you mean, sorry?"

Maze didn't answer immediately.

She started walking back toward the sitting room.

Behind her, Eliezer slowly stood from the couch.

He looked at the television.

Then he walked toward it.

Nadia was still talking through the phone.

Maze continued listening.

Eliezer reached out his hand.

His fingers touched the television screen.

The screen flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

The program disappeared.

A completely different image appeared.

An advertisement.

"Are you stressed? Are you overwhelmed? These days, many people face many different kinds of problems, but the DreamLife psychologists have proven that taking an early morning walk takes away all the stress."

Nadia was still talking on the phone.

Her voice continued from the other end, words coming one after another, but Maze stopped following them.

Her eyes remained fixed on the television.

The advertisement had completely taken over her attention.

The bright screen flickered softly against the room, the commercial showing people walking outside beneath a clear morning sky. Their faces looked relaxed. Their movements were slow. Everything about the advertisement seemed strangely peaceful compared to the house around her—the dirty cans that had only just been cleared away, the empty bottles, the silence left behind by her mother and Johan.

Maze didn't move.

For a few seconds, she simply stared.

Nadia continued speaking.

Maze could hear her voice, but the words no longer connected into anything meaningful. They became background noise, like a radio playing in another room. Her mind had narrowed itself down to the television.

*Taking an early morning walk takes away all the stress.*

Maze blinked.

The sentence remained in her head.

She looked at the screen as though she had only just noticed something she had been waiting to hear.

Nadia was still talking.

"...and then Erlin said—"

Maze didn't hear the rest.

Her attention stayed completely on the advertisement.

Something about the idea of simply walking somewhere felt appealing.

No job applications.

No sitting around the house.

No staring at the same walls.

Just getting up and going somewhere.

Her eyes remained on the television for another moment before she finally spoke.

"I think I will join you. Where are we meeting?"

There was a short pause on Nadia's side.

Then Nadia cheered.

"That's my girl! We are meeting at EddiesMadisons Street. Candice said she will pick us up there at 12 PM."

Maze nodded slightly, still looking toward the television.

"Alright. Meet you there at 11:30."

"Yeah, and don't—"

Maze ended the call.

The room became quiet again.

She lowered the phone and stared at the screen for another second.

Then she looked toward the hallway.

"I have to bath."

She walked toward her bedroom.

Behind her, the television continued playing the advertisement.

And for a moment, it was almost as if the conversation with Nadia had never happened at all.

"Yeah, you do. I can smell the girly sweat from here," said Eliezer.

He reached for the remote lying on the table and pressed a button.

The television changed channels.

The bright advertisement disappeared, replaced by an old movie. The picture had that slightly faded look that old films carried, the kind that made everything on the screen feel like it belonged to another time.

Eliezer settled back into the couch.

"Ah, there's nothing like watching an old movie."

He relaxed, remote still resting in his hand, and turned his attention toward the screen.

The movie continued.

A man and a woman were standing together, speaking quietly. Eliezer watched without saying anything for a while.

Then the girl on the screen spoke.

"The best way to say goodbye is to keep on loving him."

Eliezer stopped moving.

The words seemed to reach somewhere deeper than the movie.

His expression changed.

A tear slowly gathered in the corner of his eye before rolling down his cheek.

He didn't wipe it away.

The television remained in front of him, but he wasn't really watching it anymore.

His mind had already gone somewhere else.

Flashback

A hospital room.

The air was still, carrying the faint sterile smell of medicine and cleaning chemicals. Machines sat beside the bed, their quiet electronic sounds filling the spaces between words.

Eliezer sat beside his wife.

She lay on the hospital bed, looking at him.

There was something peaceful about the way she spoke, despite the sadness hanging over the room.

"The best way to say goodbye to someone you love is to love them more before they leave."

Eliezer smiled.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

His lips remained there for a moment before he slowly pulled away.

"I love you forever. And in the afterlife," he said.

She looked at him.

"I love you too."

Eliezer gave her one last look before leaving the room.

The door closed behind him.

Present

Crack!

The sound violently broke through the room.

Eliezer's eyes shifted toward the noise.

Maze had just dropped a cup.

Pieces of it lay scattered across the floor.

"Shit," Maze muttered.

Eliezer looked at the broken cup.

"Ah, Maze. You know that's Johan's favourite cup."

Maze didn't hear him.

She simply stared down at the broken pieces for a moment before going to get the broom.

She swept the fragments together, the small pieces scraping against the floor as they gathered into one pile.

Then she picked them up and tossed them into the trash.

Maze grabbed the keys.

She headed toward the door.

The keys jingled softly in her hand as she opened it.

Then she stepped outside and left the house.

Behind her, the door closed.

Eliezer remained inside.

The old movie continued playing on the television.

The sun touched her face.

Maze slowly tilted her head upward, allowing the warmth to rest against her skin.

She loved the sun.

There was something about its heat that made her want to stop everything and simply lie down somewhere, letting it cover her body until she forgot about the rest of the world.

The warmth felt almost like a hug.

A quiet one.

The kind that asked nothing from her.

For a moment, she imagined spending the entire day somewhere outside, lying beneath the sun while it slowly burned against her skin. She could already feel the warmth spreading across her face and arms.

But she kept walking.

EddiesMadisons Street wasn't too far away.

Her shoes pressed against the pavement with each step, one after another, while the morning moved around her.

Cars passed along the road.

Some moved slowly, their engines humming as they went by.

Others rushed past her, tires rolling loudly against the road before the sound gradually disappeared behind her.

A breeze followed one of the faster cars, brushing against her clothes and then disappearing just as quickly.

Maze continued walking.

The city seemed different from inside the house.

Outside, there was movement everywhere.

Cars.

People.

Voices.

Engines.

Footsteps.

And above all of it, the sun continued warming her face.

She kept walking toward EddiesMadisons Street.

Maze was walking among the group of people moving along the street when she heard her name.

"Maze."

She stopped.

For a moment, she wasn't sure if she had actually heard it.

People continued walking around her, some passing close enough that their shoulders nearly brushed against hers. The sounds of the street continued without interruption—cars moving along the road, people talking to one another, shoes scraping against the pavement.

Maze turned her head.

She looked behind her.

Nothing.

No one she recognized.

She turned back toward the people ahead of her, scanning their faces.

Then she heard it again.

"Maze."

This time, she knew it was her.

Her eyes moved across the street.

There, sitting on a bench outside Erstlingfield's Park, was Bruce.

He had one hand raised, waving at her so she could see him.

Maze stared at him for a second.

Then she raised her own hand and waved back.

She crossed the street.

Eliezer followed behind her.

"Oh, it's the lover boy, Maze. He seems alright," he said.

Maze couldn't hear him.

As she crossed, cars continued passing along the road.

One moved close enough to Eliezer that its body seemed to pass directly through him.

He looked down at the car as it went through his body.

"You know, at times I forget these cars can't hit me. I can even see the engine when it passes through me."

He stood in the middle of the street, watching another vehicle pass straight through him.

Maze had already reached the other side.

She walked toward the bench and sat beside Bruce.

Bruce smiled at her.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

The sounds of the street filled the silence between them.

Maze looked at him.

Bruce looked back.

She shifted slightly on the bench.

"So, where are you going?" Bruce asked.

"I was going to Nadia, but I think it's great we met."

Bruce's expression softened.

"Oh. Why?"

Maze hesitated.

The question hung between them.

She looked down for a moment before speaking.

"'Cause I'm really sorry about what happened last week. Yesterday... I—"

"Oh, it's okay," Bruce interrupted.

His voice wasn't angry.

"We just had different views of the situation."

Maze looked at him.

"Right?"

She slowly wrapped her hands around her waist.

Her fingers pressed lightly against her sides as she looked toward the street for a brief moment.

"That's what I think too."

Another quiet moment passed.

The traffic continued moving in front of them.

Maze finally looked back at Bruce.

"What made you think we were a couple?"

Bruce shifted slightly on the bench.

"Do you remember when I asked you if you wanted to go eat out?"

"Yeah, I do."

Maze smiled faintly.

"It was a wonderful time to spend with you."

Bruce looked at her.

"To me, it seemed like a date."

He paused.

His eyes remained on hers.

"A date I'd forever cherish with you."

Maze looked at him.

For a moment, she didn't say anything.

She lifted one hand and flipped her hair to the side, letting it fall back over her shoulder.

The sounds of the street continued around them.

But the space between the two of them felt strangely quiet.

"I don't mind continuing being your friend," Bruce said. "But will you be able to stay with me even though I see you as my girlfriend?"

Maze looked at him.

For a moment, she didn't answer.

She could hear the traffic passing behind them, the occasional voices of people walking through the park, and the faint rustling of leaves above them.

"I... I wouldn't mind, Bruce."

She paused.

"I value having you in my life."

Bruce smiled.

"Then I might as well. I'll win your heart over someday."

His smile widened as he leaned back against the bench.

Maze looked at him for a moment before speaking again.

"I'm glad you're okay. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's bad... I'm—"

Her phone suddenly began ringing.

The sound cut straight through her sentence.

Maze reached into her pocket and pulled it out.

She looked at the screen before answering.

"Mazeeeeeee! Where are youuuuuu? We are waiting here, girl!"

Nadia's voice came loudly through the phone.

Maze pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.

"Ohh, sorry. I didn't notice the time. I ended up meeting Bruce."

"Bruce?"

Nadia's voice immediately changed.

"Bruce, that handsome-looking friend boy of yours?"

Maze glanced toward Bruce.

She tried to cover the phone's speaker with her hand.

Bruce noticed.

He looked at her.

Then, almost deliberately, he pretended he hadn't heard anything.

Maze narrowed her eyes slightly before turning away from him.

Eliezer, standing nearby, had heard everything.

"Wow, you really heard that, huh? You naughty boy."

Bruce continued pretending he saw nothing.

Maze spoke into the phone.

"Yeah, him. I just might end up not coming."

"Nooooo, Maze! You will owe me a lot if you don't!"

Maze smiled faintly.

"We'll see, love."

"Love my ass! You and Bruce are always having ice creams and nice things without me. Give him the phone."

Maze looked at Bruce.

Bruce was still sitting beside her, looking away as though the entire conversation had nothing to do with him.

She stared at him for a moment, phone still pressed to her ear.

Then she smiled slightly.

Eliezer rose from where he had been standing.

He looked back toward Maze and Bruce.

The two of them were still sitting together on the bench, talking.

Eliezer smiled.

"Well, I'll leave the love birds to their moment."

He lifted himself from the ground.

There was no effort in the movement.

His feet slowly left the pavement.

Then his entire body followed.

He rose above the street, above the people walking below, above the trees surrounding Erstlingfield's Park.

For a moment, he simply floated there.

Then he flew.

The city of Southern Ravenport opened beneath him.

From above, the streets looked like veins running through the city, carrying thousands of people and vehicles from one place to another.

Cars moved between buildings.

Some stopped at intersections.

Others rushed through the streets, horns occasionally cutting through the constant noise of the city.

Beep.

Beep.

A bus groaned as it moved through traffic.

People crossed roads, entered buildings, left shops, gathered outside restaurants.

Southern Ravenport was alive.

Eliezer flew between the buildings, sometimes high above them, sometimes low enough that he could see people through the windows of offices and apartments.

The tallest buildings rose toward the sky, their glass surfaces catching the sunlight.

Some seemed to disappear into the clouds.

Eliezer passed them without much interest.

He continued farther.

The noise of the city slowly began to disappear behind him. The buildings became shorter. The roads became wider.

The crowds became smaller.

Eventually, the city gave way to the suburbs.

Southern Ravenport's quieter side.

The streets here were clean and peaceful.

Large houses stood behind gates and carefully maintained gardens. Trees lined the roads, their branches moving gently whenever the wind passed through them. There were hardly any people outside The traffic was almost nonexistent.

Eliezer slowed down.

He drifted between the houses, looking from one property to another.

Then one house caught his attention.

It was large.

Luxurious.

The kind of house that looked as though someone had spent a considerable amount of money making every part of it perfect. A wide driveway led toward the entrance. The windows were spotless.

The lawn was perfectly maintained.

But something was strange.

There wasn't a single car parked outside.

No movement.

No voices.

No one walking through the yard.

Eliezer descended toward the house.

Near the entrance was a small sign.

BEWARE OF DOG.

He looked at it.

Then at the house.

Then back at the sign.

"Huh."

He passed through the front door.

There was no dog.

Inside, the silence was even deeper.

Eliezer slowly floated through the entrance.

The house was immaculate.
The floors were spotless.
The furniture looked untouched.
Nothing was out of place.

There were no dishes sitting around.

No clothes thrown over chairs.

No shoes near the entrance.

No photographs scattered across tables.

Nothing.

It didn't feel like a home that someone had simply left for the day.

It felt like a home that had never been lived in.

Eliezer moved slowly through the rooms.

His eyes wandered from one piece of furniture to another.

He passed the kitchen.

Empty.

The sitting room.

Empty.

A hallway.

Empty.

He continued deeper into the house.

Then he saw a door.

It was slightly open.

He drifted toward it.

He pushed it open with his hand.

His eyes widened.

Books.

Shelves covered almost every wall.

Tall shelves.

Short shelves.

Books stacked neatly beside one another, some standing upright, others lying horizontally across the tops of other books.

Eliezer stared.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Sexy hardcover thick books."

He moved toward the nearest shelf.

His fingers travelled along the spines.

He stopped at one.

He pulled it out.

The Laws of Human Nature.

He looked at the cover.

"Hm."

He turned it slightly in his hand before sliding it back into its place.

He began to leave.

One step.

Then another.

But just before reaching the doorway, he stopped.

Something had caught his eye.

He slowly turned around.

His gaze travelled across the shelves.

Most of the books looked ordinary.

Then he saw it.

A particular book.

Its spine read:

The Complete Poems and Sonnets

Eliezer's eyes changed.

They shone.

For the briefest moment, the entire room seemed to disappear around him.

Something about the book reminded him of her.

His wife.

The same warmth.

The same ache.

The same feeling of suddenly seeing something familiar after believing you had lost it forever.

He slowly returned to the shelf.

His hand reached toward the book.

He pulled it free.

The hardcover made a soft sound as it left the shelf.

Eliezer held it carefully.

Almost reverently.

He opened it.

The smell of the pages reached him immediately.

Old paper.

Ink.

That faint, dry scent that belonged only to books that had been sitting quietly for years.

Eliezer closed his eyes for a moment.

He breathed it in.

"Peaceful."

He smiled.

There was something lovely about it.

He turned the pages slowly.

One after another.

The sound of paper moving beneath his fingers filled the silent room.

He continued browsing until he reached the sonnets.

His eyes stopped.

Sonnet 73.

Eliezer stared at the page.

A small smile appeared on his face.

He sat down on the floor.

The book rested open in his hands.

His eyes moved across the first line.

For a moment, he simply looked at the words.

As if they weren't merely words.

As if they were something he had seen before.

Something he had heard.

Something that belonged to another time.

His smile faded into something softer.

He lowered his eyes to the page.

And began to read.


Sonnet 73 - William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold,

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see'st the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west;

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the death-bed whereon it must expire,

Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.

This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.


Eliezer slowly closed the book.

His fingers remained against the cover for a moment before he stood up.

He looked at the bookshelf one last time. The rows of books stared back at him in silence.

For a second, his eyes returned to The Complete Poems and Sonnets.

Then he pushed the book back into its place.

It slid neatly between the other books.

Eliezer turned around and left the room.

He drifted through the quiet hallway and eventually reached the kitchen. The kitchen was just as spotless as the rest of the house.

The counters were clean.
The sink was empty.
There wasn't a single person around. Eliezer walked toward the stove.

He switched it on.
Then another.
And another.

All four burners were left on. He looked at them for a moment.

Then, as casually as if he had simply turned on a light, he left the kitchen. He walked through the empty house and passed straight through the front door.

Outside, the quiet suburban air greeted him again.

Eliezer rose into the sky.

He flew back toward Southern Ravenport.

The further he travelled, the louder the city became.

The quiet suburbs disappeared behind him.

Buildings grew taller.

Cars filled the roads again.

Horns sounded from below.

People moved along the pavements.

And eventually, Erstlingfield's Park came into view.

Eliezer descended.

He spotted Maze and Bruce almost immediately.

They were still sitting on the bench.

But something had changed.

They were laughing.

They seemed closer than they had been when he left them.

Maze was smiling as Bruce spoke, and every now and then she laughed at something he said.

Eliezer landed nearby.

He watched them for a moment.

Then he walked over and sat directly between them.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking from Maze to Bruce.

"It seems you two figured shit out, huh?"

Neither of them knew he was there.

Maze continued talking with Bruce.

"I love it too, especially when the movie is long and nice. I enjoy it a lot."

Bruce smiled.

"Maybe one day we could watch one together."

Maze looked at him.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"I hope that's not a date."

"Nah, it's not. Come on, Maze."

Bruce laughed.

Maze smiled again.

"I'm glad. I hope so too."

For a moment, the three of them occupied the same bench.

Except only two of them knew they were sitting there.

Eliezer leaned back.

He looked from one to the other.

Then he glanced toward the park.

The afternoon-or what remained of the morning-continued around them. Leaves shifted gently above the bench. People passed along the paths. Somewhere nearby, a child laughed.

Maze's phone suddenly vibrated.

She looked down.

A notification had appeared on the screen.

Bruce noticed her expression.

"What is it? I hope it's not Nadia again."

Maze shook her head.

"No, it's not her."

She unlocked the phone and began scrolling.

Her eyes moved down the screen.

Then stopped.

"Oh."

Bruce looked at her.

"What's up, Maze?"

Maze stared at the message for another second.

"It's..."

She hesitated.

"I'm having a job interview in an hour from now."

Bruce's expression immediately changed.

"You should be going then."

He stood up from the bench.

Maze looked down at herself.

"But I'll have to change and fully get ready."

Bruce held out his hand toward her.

"Oh, no. You are already ready."

Maze looked at him.

"You're looking even better than the normal ladies out there."

He smiled and kept his hand extended.

Maze looked at it for a moment before taking it.

Bruce pulled her gently to her feet.

She stood beside him.

Eliezer remained sitting alone on the bench.

He looked at the two of them standing in front of him.

A strange little smile crossed his face.

"Sometimes I like to think I'm watching a movie."

He leaned back against the bench.

His eyes followed Maze and Bruce.

"It would be better if I was still unclean too. I'd watch crazy things."

The two of them walked away from the bench.

Eliezer remained behind.

Alone again.

For a moment, the noise of the park seemed to become distant.

He simply sat there, watching the empty space where they had been.

Downtown, Southern Ravenport - MarkMechanics

The sound of metal filled the garage.

Wrenches clinked against the concrete floor. An engine hummed somewhere in the next bay, while the occasional hiss of compressed air came from deeper inside the workshop.

A radio played quietly in the background.

Mark was underneath a car.

Only his legs and part of his torso could be seen sticking out from beneath it as he worked on the engine. One hand held a tool while the other reached deeper into the machinery.

The smell of motor oil hung heavily in the air.

Mark shifted his body slightly.

Then-

Splash.

A small amount of oil spilled down from the engine and landed across his shirt and cheek.

"Ah, shit."

He wiped his face with the back of his hand, leaving an even darker smear across his skin.

Then the phone rang.

Mark paused.

The ringing came from somewhere nearby.

"Alvin?"

He waited.

Nothing.

"Alvin!"

Still nothing.

The phone continued ringing.

Mark tried again, louder.

"Alvin!"

From somewhere inside the workshop came a voice.

"I'm coming!"

The ringing stopped.

Mark went back to working.

Then-

The phone rang again.

This time, Alvin appeared with it in his hand.

He walked over to the car and crouched beside it.

"Here."

Alvin reached underneath and handed the phone to Mark.

Mark took it while still lying beneath the car.

"Hello?"

A woman's voice answered.

"Can you please send me money to pay for electricity? I just got a call from the Homelookers saying the electricity is finished at the house."

Mark stopped what he was doing.

He stared upward at the underside of the car.

"How does a house without anyone inside get its electricity finished?"

"I don't know. Ask the Homelookers, Mark."

Mark rubbed his forehead.

"Okay. I'll send the money. But how much money are we talking about?"

"It's fifteen K, Mark."

Mark's eyes widened slightly.

"Fifteen K?"

"Remember, there are robots there. They clean the house and do the garden watering."

Mark exhaled slowly.

He looked toward Alvin, who was standing nearby waiting for the phone.

"Alright. Later, though."

He ended the call.

Mark handed the phone back to Alvin.

Alvin took it and began walking away.

"Alvin!"

Alvin turned around.

"Don't forget to tell Han to take Mr. Admock's car back."

"I will. I'll tell him right now."

Alvin continued walking through the workshop.

Mark watched him disappear between the cars.

Then he turned back toward the engine.

The smell of oil filled his nose again.

He slid deeper underneath the car and went back to work.

Maze sat outside the interview room with her hands pressed together.

Her fingers kept moving against one another. She would rub her thumb against the side of her index finger, stop, then start again.

Around her were other people waiting.

Some were sitting quietly.

Others were looking through their phones.

One man beside her kept tapping his foot against the floor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Maze tried not to look at him.

She looked instead at the door.

INTERVIEW ROOM

Her stomach felt strange.

Not the kind of hunger she had felt earlier.

This was different.

It was tight.

Uncomfortable.

Every few seconds she swallowed, even though her mouth wasn't particularly dry.

She had been unemployed for long enough that getting an interview itself felt like an achievement.

Now that she was actually sitting here, she wasn't sure she wanted the door to open.

She looked down at her clothes.

She adjusted them.

Then adjusted them again.

*What if I mess this up?*

She looked toward the door.

A woman eventually opened it.

"Maze?"

Maze immediately looked up.

"Yes."

"You can come in."

Maze stood.

Her legs felt slightly heavier than they had a few seconds earlier.

She walked into the room.

The interviewer sat behind a desk with a folder in front of her.

There was a chair on the other side.

"Please, have a seat."

"Thank you."

Maze sat down.

The chair made a small sound against the floor.

The woman opened the folder.

"Alright, Maze. You're applying for the packaging worker position."

"Yes."

"Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

Maze looked at her.

Her mind suddenly became blank.

She had prepared for this.

She knew she had.

But now that the question had actually been asked, the answer seemed to have disappeared somewhere inside her head.

"I..."

She paused.

"I'm hardworking."

The interviewer nodded and wrote something down.

"And what interests you about working in packaging?"

Maze hesitated again.

"I think..."

She looked down briefly.

"I just need a job."

The pen stopped moving.

The interviewer looked up.

Maze immediately realized that probably wasn't the answer she had been supposed to give.

"I mean-I'm willing to work. I can learn."

The woman nodded.

"Have you worked in a similar position before?"

"No."

"Have you worked with packaging equipment?"

"No."

"Any experience working in a warehouse?"

"No."

The questions were coming faster now.

Maze tried to keep up.

The more questions she was asked, the more aware she became of every little thing happening around her.

The ticking clock on the wall.

The faint hum of the air conditioner.

The sound of the woman's pen touching the paper.

Her own breathing.

She could hear herself swallowing.

"Are you comfortable working under pressure?"

Maze stared at the interviewer.

"I think so."

"You think so?"

Maze shifted in the chair.

"Yes."

The woman looked back at her notes.

"What would you do if you made a mistake while packaging an order?"

Maze opened her mouth.

Nothing came.

She knew there was probably a correct answer.

Tell a supervisor.

Fix the mistake.

Follow procedure.

Something.

Anything.

But her mind wouldn't give it to her.

"I... I don't know."

The interviewer looked at her for a moment.

Maze felt her face becoming warm.

She lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

The woman closed the folder slightly.

Maze noticed.

Her stomach sank.

There were still questions she hadn't been asked.

She could feel the interview ending before the woman actually said it.

The interviewer gave a polite smile.

"Alright. I think we're done for today."

Maze looked up.

"Oh."

"We'll let you know if you've been accepted. If you are selected, we'll contact you and ask you to come back."

Maze nodded.

"Okay."

"Have a nice day."

"You too."

Maze stood.

She pushed the chair back carefully and walked toward the door.

The moment she stepped outside, the hallway felt different. She had been holding her breath without realizing it.

Now she released it.

A long breath escaped her.

She walked through the building.

People passed her.

Someone laughed somewhere down the hallway.

A receptionist spoke quietly to another employee. A printer made a mechanical noise from behind a desk.

Maze barely noticed any of it.

Her thoughts were louder.

*I fucked it up.*

She walked toward the exit.

*I'm not getting that job.*

The glass doors opened. Sunlight hit her face again. She stepped outside.

The warmth that had felt comforting earlier didn't seem quite the same now.

Maze stood on the pavement for a moment.

People moved around her, but she remained still.

She looked down.

"I am not it."

Her voice was quiet.

She wasn't talking to anyone.

She simply said it as though she had finally reached a conclusion.

"I am not it."

Eliezer stood nearby.

He looked at her.

"You are amazing."

Maze didn't hear him.

She continued walking.

Her mind remained somewhere behind her, trapped inside that interview room, replaying every question she hadn't answered and every pause she wished she could take back.

Eliezer followed.

Maze left the building.

The glass doors closed behind her with a soft hiss.

She stepped onto the pavement, but her mind was still inside the interview room.

The questions kept replaying.

*Can you tell me about yourself?*

*What interests you about packaging?*

*Have you worked with packaging equipment?*

*What would you do if you made a mistake?*

She could still see the interviewer's face.

The polite smile.

The folder slowly closing.

*We'll let you know if you've been accepted.*

Maze walked without really thinking about where she was going.

People passed around her.

Cars moved along the road.

A horn sounded somewhere nearby.

She barely noticed.

Her eyes were pointed ahead, but her attention wasn't there.

She stepped off the pavement.

One foot.

Then another.

She had walked directly into the street.

A car suddenly came rushing toward her.

The engine roared.

The tires moved rapidly across the road.

Maze didn't notice.

Not until-

Screeeeech!

The car slammed on its brakes.

It stopped just before reaching her.

For a moment, everything seemed frozen.

Maze stood in front of the car.

The driver stared through the windshield.

Then the engine sputtered.

A dark liquid began dripping steadily from underneath the vehicle.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Oil spread across the road beneath the car.

The driver opened his door and stepped out.

He was dressed like a businessman, his clothes neat despite the irritated expression now covering his face.

He looked at Maze.

"Watch where you're walking!"

Maze looked at him.

"You could have died!"

She didn't answer.

The man turned toward his car.

His eyes followed the trail of oil running beneath it.

His expression became even more frustrated.

He walked toward the front of the vehicle and kicked the front wheel.

"This fucking useless piece of shit!"

The car gave a faint metallic creak.

More oil dripped onto the road.

The businessman stared at it angrily.

Maze walked away.

She stepped back onto the pavement and continued down the street.

The man's shouting faded behind her.

But Maze's mind had already returned to the interview.

She kept walking.

Maze bought a few groceries before heading home.

The plastic bags hung from her fingers, their weight pulling gently against her hands as she walked.

It wasn't much.

Just enough for the house.

The afternoon had already begun settling over Southern Ravenport by the time she reached home.

Maze opened the door.

The first thing she noticed was the television.

It was still playing.

Her mother and Johan were asleep on the couch, their bodies slumped comfortably against the cushions.

Neither of them seemed to notice her coming in.

Maze stood at the doorway for a moment.

She looked at them.

Then at the television.

The sound of the program filled the sitting room.

She walked over and switched it off.

Click.

The screen went black.

The sudden silence made the room feel much larger.

Maze carried the groceries toward the kitchen and put them down.

Before doing anything else, she checked the electricity units.

She looked at the meter.

2 units remaining.

Maze stared at the number.

Only two.

She exhaled quietly.

She couldn't leave it like that.

She went to her room, took out her phone and connected it to the charger.

The charging symbol appeared on the screen.

Then she gathered what she needed and went to take a bath.

The bathroom was quiet.

Water began running.

Steam slowly gathered against the mirror as the warmth filled the room.

Maze stood beneath the water and let it run over her.

For a while, she didn't think about the interview.

She didn't think about Bruce.

She didn't think about Nadia.

She didn't think about the job.

She simply stood there.

The warmth loosened the tension that had remained in her body since the morning.

Eventually, she finished bathing and changed into something comfortable.

She returned to her room and checked her phone.

It had gained some charge.

She unplugged it and walked back toward the kitchen.

Her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten properly in a while.

She opened the fridge.

She expected to have to make something.

Instead, she found food already there.

Maze looked inside.

There was enough for a meal.

She took it out and prepared it.

The kitchen filled with the small sounds of an ordinary evening-plates touching the counter, utensils moving, food being warmed.

She sat down and ate.

There was no rush.

No conversation.

Just Maze, her food, and the quiet house.

After finishing, she cleaned up and put everything away.

She returned to her room.

Her phone was beside the bed.

She looked at it for a moment before placing it down.

Outside, the light had faded.

The house was quiet now.

Maze climbed into bed.

The mattress sank beneath her weight.

She pulled the blanket over herself and turned onto her side.

The day replayed itself in fragments.

The morning sun.

Nadia's call.

Bruce.

The interview.

*I am not it.*

She closed her eyes.

She didn't know what tomorrow would bring.

For now, she was tired.

And that was enough.

Maze slowly drifted to sleep.

The day was over.