Ten.One Thousand, Five Hundred & Sixty-Nine

1. But the good thing is that I get to lay here.

2. A disaster. I push the dirty dishes aside and clean off the cutting board. Where is the tablespoon?

3. How quickly can I clean these bathrooms?

4. Her hand in a mudra and the light hitting her just right. The same light illuminating the edge of the fireplace. It is quiet. Not even a chainsaw this morning.

5. I go with the turtleneck. I will probably regret it later.

6. A nut with each course.

7. “Octavia Butler,” she says. “Parable of the Sower?” I say as I touch her arm. “I mean, it sounds like we need to buy our land further north, right?” “But that county gives unfriendly vibes.” She assures me that it is unfriendly. “People go missing and stay missing up there.”

8. This feels like a puzzle that can’t be solved.

9. This is it. The real fun begins next week.

10. “I used to dream about dinners like these.”