Disobeying my master would result in severe punishment (something so terrible I won't even write it here). He wasn't all bad though. Some days he would wake up in a good mood, and after preparing his breakfast, I would sit by the window with him, observing the other members of his species. Going into shops with signs I can't read, walking up to stations and refilling dark containers. It was days like these I truly felt happy, despite being away from my family and friends and everything familiar to me.

Now I have to build up courage to walk in tall grass, to make my way through bushes. I used to not even think about it, but I'm heavier now. Weighed down and black on the inside from all of the pressure. When you're young you have a certain amount of time to enjoy things before the pressure sinks in. You're forever born into a certain pair of clothes and they get less and less comfy as time goes on. It's like when you put cotton candy in your mouth and before you know it it's gone. You think about the taste, you almost feel like you can taste it again, but it is never as intense as it was the first time.

The day when everybody in my neighborhood turned into glass sculptures I wasn't even that upset. I didn't know what to do with all of the furniture. There was a ton of it and I was excited to have it, but I wasn't getting any ideas on what to actually do with it. At first being alone was fun, but after a few days I started to feel like I was in danger for some reason. There were no lawn mowers, no dogs barking, no cars driving by. I always felt like something was creeping up on me. While preparing meals in the kitchen I couldn't keep my eye off the dark hallway. I hid under my covers at night. I walked to town and saw actual people. I didn't tell anybody about what had happened in my neighborhood. I was selfish and wanted the privacy, the extra room. Why did I need it though? All of my time was spent being paranoid, looking over my shoulder. I was afraid to admit it: I was getting lonely. I finally told a few people. Close friends. I told them to come home with me, live in some of the houses. All of the utilities still worked fine, the electricity, the plumbing, the air conditioning. It was like living out some weird daydream.