Short Story Snippet | Part XXIII: Weightless

I didn’t push it away.

I didn’t argue with it.

I didn’t even need to understand it.

It just…

didn’t land.

What once felt heavy

now passed through

like air.

Not because it changed—

but because I did.

Part XXIV: Observed

A voice rose.

Sharp. Loud.

Then a door closed.

I paused—
not to investigate,
not to interpret,

just to notice.

Observed.

No further action needed.

Part XXV: The Debate

“Why do you hate it so much?”

The question echoed louder than the answer ever could.

Not because it needed clarity—

but because it needed intensity.

I watched as the conversation grew,

less about the topic

and more about the stance.

I didn’t step in.

Some debates aren’t about truth—

just performance.

Part XXVI: Palate Cleanser

The world was being… a lot.

Then my watch buzzed.

“Animals are losing insulin in Ottawa.”

I paused.

Not to analyze—

just to laugh.

Sometimes clarity sounds like silence.

And sometimes…

it sounds like that.

Part XXVII: Transparent

I said what I wanted to say.

Clearly.
Openly.

That was the only part
that belonged to me.

What came after—

reactions, opinions, interpretations—

I let those stay where they landed.

Not everything echoes back

for a reason.

Part XXVIII: Third Release

The app was live.

Not announced loudly.
Not debated.

Just… released.

I pressed play on a song I liked
and sang along—
not for anyone else,

just because I could.

Whatever existed outside the room

stayed there.

This moment

was mine.

Part XXIX: No Quest

They were still looking for something to chase.

Something to solve.
Something to defeat.

I wasn’t.

Not because it didn’t exist—

but because I didn’t need it to.

The story had already moved on.

And so had I.

Part XXX: Unofficial HR

Apparently, I’d been added to a department
I never applied for.

No onboarding.
No paperwork.

Just… proximity.

My mornings were reviewed,
my movements observed,

and somewhere—
decisions were being made.

“We’ll let you know if you’re a good fit,”
no one said.

I continued my day as scheduled.

Because I wasn’t employed there.

And they weren’t hiring.