No Rest for the Respirated

The fastest way to become ostracized by society is to care about other people. Case in point--I wear a respirator everywhere I go because in spite of everyone's massive denial, a pandemic is still happening, and people are continuing to get sick & disabled. Now everyone avoids me

They call me a doomsayer, a purveyor of unnecessary fear. Yet, every day, I see the empty spaces where friends once stood, their absence a silent testament to the reality they refuse to acknowledge. My respirator has become a symbol of their denial.

A cacophony of caustic carcinogens blasts through the air, labeled “Life Air” Every day we breathe it because Galactic Health Corp. says it’s mandatory for the better health of society. More and more of us are waking up, our respirators donned like fists in the air. Revolution.

We meander through the crowds who breathe this stuff and smirk, feeling unnecessary smugness. But then a whistle blows and a galactic security guard shouts: “you there! You’re under arrest for a prohibited respirator!” Unnecessary noise. We start to parkour away. We parkour hard.

We raced up the side of the building, swung around three antennas, then landed on the roof. We ran up the slope of the roof and unfurled our wings. We were one with the geese as we soared into the evening sky.