I strolled along the old wharf, muttering to myself, trying to clear my head. A new business and fantasy venture with Sissitrix was progressing well, but I’d been cooped up too long inside our warehouse, prodded, poked, fingered, and fucked until I felt a change of scene was needed.
I wasn’t complaining about the attention I’d had, but being indoors, under bright spotlights, and constantly observed became wearisome. Sissitrix’s suggestion of getting fresh air and a pleasant stroll amid rusting hulks and dilapidated cranes helped me.
At the old docks, a coal barge dominated the skyline. Hold four inside the listing old supply vessel was the place where, allegedly, Erin and Max had a showdown, and he died or transformed into something digital.
I enjoyed strolling through industrial decay because it spoke to a sense inside me that the old rules had died and regeneration was possible, desirable, and needed. I also enjoyed the old docks because I could be completely alone there.
“Hey.”
“I spoke to soon.”
“You never said a word.”
“I mean, in my head… my internal monologue was just commenting how much I enjoy the loneliness of this place, and then you show up.”
I spun around and saw a man standing nearby. He’d obscured himself in the shadows, which is why I passed him by unnoticed. He was handsome, around my age, and well-dressed in an eccentric style I loved. His white suit contrasted with a luxurious milk chocolate complexion.
“Blue tie?”
“Today is Tuesday. It is a blue day.”
“What is Saturday, then?”
I squinted playfully while he tugged a short goatee, grinning broadly.
“Pink.”
“I am Unseen.”