I actually wrote something new

the sky darkens. An inky-black colour stretches across the sky, like the tentacles of an octopus. Pedestrian's faces are half covered by the edges of umbrellas. The splashes of boots hitting puddles rings in the air. I hover at a crosswalk. My hands are numb from the relentless tears falling from the sky. Sometimes I wonder if the earth itself gets sad sometimes. Discrimination. Global warming. The last airbender movie. These are things worth bawling over. The light changes from a red hand to a white person walking. Along with a dozen others, I step down into the street. Windshield wipers work vigorously at the cars, waiting impatiently 5 feet from us. They have jobs to get to. They may hate it there, and complain about it constantly, but working hard at something they like is too much effort. So how about they honk at people crossing the street when the light's red and they can't go anyway? I'm talking to you, black Corolla. This must also tick off the earth, because a mean-looking piece of hail hits it's windshield. Unfortunately, it doesn't crack. But the nasty woman inside jumps nonetheless. The greasy lipstick she slathered on this morning curves into a scowl. Her brown hair is pulled back in a loose bun. Her brown suit is ironed perfectly. She's gorgeous, really. She just needs a better attitude to meet it. I smile and stick my tongue out at her. She shoots me with a dirty look. You know, because I control the weather. I just shrug and hurry to the sidewalk. She just made an enemy for life. I continue on my way. On my right, TVs for sale are playing today's news. I pause and turn to contemplate them. With one glance, I suck in air through my teeth. Oh well. That's what makes real estate so cheap. A buzz from my raincoat causes me to look down. Reaching in the deep pocket that goes with the jacket I got for Christmas, I pull out my phone. I have to lean over it so it's not exposed to the hell berating me from above. On my home screen of a cinnamon toast crunch piece devouring it's child, I see a little icon. Message from Darla.

I tap it. The home screen zooms to our text chat. What time will you be here?

I respond, remaining hunched over. I probably look ridiculous to everyone passing by. Like Gollum or something.

15 minutes away.

I could've taken the subway. But that would mean interacting with other people. Yeah, I definitely made the right choice. As I'm walking, I notice all the children making their way to school. Some about twelve, heads in a book or typing on a phone. Some mumbling about the weather. There's many little kids. Quite a few are running through puddles and frolicking happily. I imagine what it would be like if all the adults did that. It would certainly make my day more interesting. One kid, a girl with red hair and brown eyes, walks calmly past us. Under her green rubber coat is a school uniform. She scoffs at the other children. The man walking with her, hand in hand, does the same. A big, black umbrella covers them both. But, when her Caretaker turns away, the girl pushes her pinky up her nose. She catches my eye, realizing I'm noticing what she's doing. She pulls out her finger, and a yellowish blob comes with it. I turn away and pick up my pace, but out of the corner of my eye, I see her wipe it on the man's pants. What a treasure to this world. Much better than black Corolla. I turn right and observe all the skyscrapers surrounding me. They reach to the sky, beyond the ink-black mass. At the top of some of them, it’s a bright, happy day, unlike down here. Company names are written in big fonts to trick you into thinking they’re any more significant than the next concrete block. When the world’s ending I’ll be sure not to pay Buzz’s electrical shower caps and blankets a visit. The street lamps aren’t making a dent in the murkiness of the air. I mean, they try. I see wisps of steam crawling under its light. We could use a bigger version of it. Why haven't engineers done that? So they’ll be hard to build and block the sun. I can almost guarantee someone will die in construction. But we’re overpopulated anyway. I run across a road before the light turns green. My soaked sneakers squeak as I lift off of them. This time the honk I get is heavily deserved. Do you have any idea how hot I look running? I finish my sprint and stop on the sidewalk, panting. The cement has grains of rock embedded in it. And a few shoe prints. I hate to imagine someone’s day after walking through wet cement. Others rudely push past me, without so much as congratulating me for making it across. When did this city get so rude? I straighten up and hold my head high. Big mistake. I get nailed in the eye. First off, very inappropriate, universe. I could’ve been blinded. Second, and more importantly, if I had been blinded, I’d get my eye removed and start wearing an eyepatch. I could freak my friends and family out by opening my eye, and it’s just an empty socket. I wonder if my landlord would let me get a parrot. l’ll call him at lunch. I’m five minutes away now. The buildings are disappearing and being replaced by cute little shops. Pet stores are very common in this neighborhood. I pass a shelter, and hear a chorus of dogs barking at me. At least they know how to compliment someone. I’ll come back later to see if they have birds. I see my destination up ahead to the left. A cute little coffee place. A neon sign brags about free wifi. Inside, at a corner table, Darla is typing furiously at a computer. I open the door. A bell dings and makes the patrons glance at me briefly, before getting back to whatever they were doing. Darla notices me and waves. My appearance is probably less than stellar. I’m keeping my eye closed because it hurts to open it. My whole body is covered in droplets. Darla raises an eyebrow. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

I give her the thumbs up and push a strand of hair out of my face “I decided to take a pleasant stroll. Are you ready to get to work?”

Darla nods. “What’s the first question of the day? We have two thousand viewers.”

I wipe my face and sniff. “Would I look good in an eye patch?”