My mind still addled with sleep, I could only bring myself to gaze around me, clutching Amadeus, oblivious to people jostling against me. People rushed by, clutching packages and bags, some with children clinging onto their sleeves. My eyes couldn't open all the way yet, so most figures were just tall and lean apparitions, dancing in my peripherals. Eventually, someone started yelling at me, so I left.
I walked through the hoards of people towards the waterfront; the salty, brackish smell of sea salt and tar was just warming up to the day. Seagulls screeched and dive-bombed innocent citizens, kamikazeing the unsuspecting for a piece of baguette. Millions of faces swam by me, the sun almost too bright, leaving me unable to focus properly. I sat down on a cold bench overlooking the harbor, my arms aching with Amadeus and a night under a foldout table. The boats bobbed up and down, the water an icy, billowing mussel-blue blanket. The grass shivered.
I stretched my legs out in front of me, and contemplated the night before as Amadeus went in for some more beauty sleep. What a wild fucking night, I thought. What a wild fucking dream. I must be out of my mind. I caught a glance of my watch. 10:04. I was an hour and a half late for work.
Olmstein & Fidget was a three-minute walk east. If I had run, I'd have been able to keep my job.
I decided to go flying instead.
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