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An instant later, two centuries had passed,
If nothing else, she would punish her brain for the unscheduled insomnia by forcing it to think. She strongly suspected human brains hated thinking—why else would they avoid it at all costs?
Being tired but unable to sleep was so unfair. She had often wondered why Management allowed it. Or why you could be thirsty while also needing the bathroom.
Humans could have been devised to be rational, to calmly weigh up pros and cons and to sensibly calculate the best option in every situation. But there must have been a rushed design meeting, or tight production deadline, because humans actually operate via an unholy mix of borderline irrationality and random impulse.
What could be more magical than jars of pure human characteristics?
Please remember that Management reserve the right to terminate or amend your contract for any reason—” “Do I have that right?” Too late, she realised hasty decisions worked two ways.
“People have left before.” Her friend looked unconvinced. “A long time ago.” He paused. “And none of them were you.”
how do I put this? Whatever you choose, you still find what you need. You could be happy if you passed through the Shop to Earth, or if you explored the rest of the prelife, or even if you stayed here at the Rock. That you choose is more important than what you choose.”
She ought to say something deep and wise. Perhaps if she kept talking it would happen automatically.
Nothing remarkable had happened, but it was all new nothing and therefore thrilling.
Everything felt so strange, like she was wearing a different skin. But she was the same. The whole universe had changed around her.
People aren’t supposed to believe you when you’re pretending to be modest.
She hesitated, unsure of how open she should be. She allowed her mouth to keep talking, hoping it would find the words to explain by itself.
“So it’s not about me?” “Most things aren’t,” he said. He thought for a moment. “Though, you try explaining that to anybody. No-one ever listens.”
On Earth, they reportedly went to great lengths to make work satisfying and rewarding for everybody, but here in the prelife it was often viewed as a chore. However, she had fallen in love with the Shop already.
This had been her favourite morning… perhaps ever.
Sometimes you’ve just got to move on, even if nothing’s wrong with where you are. And afterwards, the new place is where you’re supposed to be.”
Now she just felt… empty. Above all, she was lonely—an intense, scathing isolation which had been absent for a long while. She couldn’t face her friends, and she certainly couldn’t face the Shopkeeper. She longed for nothing more than to disappear entirely.
the trouble with old days is that they belong to someone else. I couldn’t go back there, not the way I am now.” Faythe looked at her questioningly. “You can’t avoid change forever,” explained the Shopkeeper. “I loved the old Shop, with its tiny corridors and messy dead-ends. But we built all these new buildings for a good reason—we needed them. If I went back, I’d immediately be frustrated with all the same problems which annoyed me back then.” She snorted. “Except worse, because now I’m used to the solutions we built.” “I get it,” said Faythe. She often imagined going back to the Rock, but in
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Like all the best cover stories, this had the benefit of being almost entirely true.
