To Do
A story of duties and discovery
Wake up. Possibly this is obvious, because if I don’t do this then I’m dead and will accomplish nothing, but I believe that the secret to happiness is micro-goals, and this is such an easy thing to cross off my list, I’m going to take the opportunity to get some of that sweet, sweet dopamine just as soon as I open my eyes.
Get dressed. One pant leg at a time, just like everyone else. Although due to my exposure, I do now have slightly more pant legs than most others. But we’re all beautiful in our own unique ways, am I right?
Eat breakfast. This will, of course, require scouring the Institute for something to eat, but what’s life without a little adventure? Also, with the venom sacs I developed last week, it’s far easier to catch a Scuttling One than it used to be. Always look on the bright side!
Pay obeisance at Their feet. Well, not feet. Base? Ending? Beginning? Well, whatever it is, get face down and grovel. As far as I can tell, They can’t read minds, so it doesn’t really matter if I mean it. Or… perhaps They can read minds, and They enjoy the dissonance between my actions and my thoughts. Either way, I will definitely be thinking about what dicks They are.
Find something fun in the armory. I am still not sure why the Institute has an armory. Did it have one when I started here? Everything before the Incident is fuzzy now. It’s like I’m in a story that doesn’t really have a beginning and I am always trying to make sense of the plot. But at least the weapons in the armory are fun. Last time I found one which shot flesh-eating grubs. Amazing!
Check all the ground floor seals. The most important part of my day! Unless you are one of Them in which case you probably think the obeisance bit is. Because if I skip that I might as well replace this whole list with “roll around in agony having my body contorted in unnatural ways.” But if I don’t check the seals then I might as well replace this whole list with “be eaten” so…
Venture upwards. Now onto the main meat of the day. Just like every day. Dressed, fed, awake, armed I’ll head towards the top of the Institute. I have now cleared all the way up through the 212th floor. It has occurred to me that there is of course the possibility that someone from a floor above may have ventured down below the level I am currently exploring thus making my knowledge of the Institute outdated and incomplete. However, that just means that when I finally reach the summit, I can just start at the bottom again and go up once more. There’s always something to do around here!
Stop on the 78th floor to visit with the Tribe. It is always good to meet with the Tribe, and learn if they have any news of what is happening on the floors around them. To be fair, so far it has been three years since I met them, and there has been no news. Or at least, if I am interpreting their strange chittering and jumping motions correctly there isn’t. I am not sure we have truly learned to communicate any meaning to each other in anyway yet. But every day is a new challenge.
Continue my ascent. The elevator will take me as far as the 156th floor. After that it’s the stairway. I have gotten quite quick at stairs with my new legs. But I’m sure I can get quicker. Practice makes perfect!
Encounter the uncanny. This is always the great unknown in my day, but it is also a predictable event, which can help. Although, it doesn’t always help. It did not help when the 96th floor tried to eat me. It did not help when all the chairs on the 117th floor combined together into a great amalgam and demanded that I forswear Them and gave my allegiance only to it on pain of death. Although it did help when the 53rd floor was flooded, and there were millions of frogs, their little wet limbs touching me everywhere. And I didn’t even need to think about the predictability of unpredictable events within the Institute when the 175th floor was full of flowers with pollen the color of treacle that caused me to swell to five times my regular size and float through the cubicles. The skin stretching was quite painful, but thanks to my exposure I am now far more capable of surviving such rigors. They are quite terrifying, but They are also quite generous in their gifts even if they don’t seem like gifts at the time
Presumably survive. I have survived every other day so far, but it should be noted that all other items on this list are predicated on the assumption that I am not consumed, burned, flayed, dissolved, macerated, or destroyed in any other way by the things I encounter.
Descend. Always a nice easy part of my day. Unless I have left parts of myself behind back on the floor I was just exploring, of course. Then this will be painful and harrowing. But always look on the bright side!
Report to Them. Face down on the floor, muttering in a barely audible voice. I’m not sure They can really hear me, but they seem to appreciate the ritual of it. At least, it does seem to help me avoid the whole agony and contortions thing.
Eat, contemplate, and sleep. The day ends in ritual and relaxation, chewing on whatever I was able to hunt on the floors above. And as oblivion rises up all around to claim me, I will think upon everything I have to do tomorrow.
Thank you for reading Something’s a Little Off. If you’re interested in sampling a few other stories, and reading an excerpt of my upcoming novella, why not check out the sampler linked to here?