I dream of crowds all the time

Until this pandemic began, I had no idea how important being around people was for me. It was so draining for me so much of the time, I couldn't tell how much I needed it.

Last night, I dreamt that I was in a bus station. Every bus was full and people flowed on and off when they stopped

Most days, I just see my wife and kid and nobody else. I miss sitting at the office and casually being in the presence of my coworkers. Running into them in the kitchen. There are no acquaintances right now.

Often in my dreams I get lost, and I'm anxious. When I wake up, I know where I am and I'm anxious

I've come to think my younger introversion was actually partly dysphoria. When I was around people, I had to keep my carefully-constructed facade of masculinity in place. Now I don't and it makes things easier.

Dreaming of people doesn't make me feel better

A good quest is a like a swamp full of monsters: you never know what's going to come out of it.

Once again, we gather the odder parts of the space-time continuum in a motley collection of tales we like to call the E2 SciFiQuest! All science fictional stories, poems, essays, and predictions are accepted. In the spirit of providing an inclusive environment, fairies, ghosts, mages, and gods are also welcome. Reviews and explanations of science-fictional concepts will be accepted, but …

Sometimes
when you look at me
and think that I don’t care,
when it seems
that I don’t hear
or I don’t listen-

the words I need
are on a string,
they float away
like a green balloon;
they disappear
like the road at night,
like rabbits in the snow-

sometimes
when you look at me,
you think that I don’t care,
and if I were you,
I guess I’d think that, too-

but if it seems
like I’m not…