>Wake up to a sunny summer morning
>Realize it's already 9:30 AM
>Parents are already at work, and sister's still in bed
>Go downstairs, find some food lying around and call it breakfast
>Suddenly, doorbell
"Who the hell's at my fucking door this time of day on a Thursday? Don't they know people are trying to sleep?"
>Cats rush to the door, anxious to see what's going on
>Make my way over less urgently
>Open the door, bump the cats inside, grab the package someone left on the porch
>Someone sent me a package?
>No return address
>Shrug, walk over to the kitchen
>Open the package
>Balled up paper everywhere
>Pony plush inside... my OC?
"...Wow."
>Don't even have a name for him, and someone went and made a plush
>Not a bad job, either
"Who do I even know that makes ponies? Who have I even talked about my OC with?"
>Thoroughly confused
>Throw out box and head back to my room to bum around all day
 
>All quiet on the net
>No good threads on 4chan, nobody online to talk to
>Browse video game collection
>Nothing there looks good
>Decide to draw a map of nowhere in particular
>Not sure where anything I'm putting down's coming from
>Unusually productive
>Practically portfolio-tier by the time Mom calls for dinner
 
>Steak, fresh off the grill, with sides of broccoli and corn on the cob
>Just not in the mood for steak
>Mom's worried. "Is everything all right? I thought you liked steak?"
"I do like steak. I just... don't want any tonight."
>"Well, all right then."
>Mom doesn't believe me
>"By the way..."
>Oh, great. This sounds fantastic.
>"When was the last time you had a haircut?"
>Check my hair
>It IS longer than I remember
"I don't know; I haven't been keeping track. You're usually the one who sends me in, anyway."
>"I'll make you an appointment."
"Thanks, Mom."
>Head back to room
>Check on the internet
>Chat for a while before going to bed
>Fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly
>Unusual, but nice
 
>Wake up the next morning
>Another suffocating, sunny, summer day
>Get out of bed and stumble
>Feeling a little dizzy, or something
>Make it to my computer, surrounded by a small herd of tiny plastic ponies and one very well-made plush
>People are talking, but I just can't seem to type
"fgubuk thus; i
";m gnna gho thae shiweer"
>Might as well be wearing boxing gloves
 
>Go to bathroom, look in mirror
>Hair may have even gotten longer
>Things are a little out of focus
>Take my glasses off to clean them
>Vision almost gets clearer
>Blink, look down at glasses, my reflection in the mirror, and through my glasses at the mirror
"Eh, what the hell. I don't need glasses to shower anyway."
>Get in shower, fumble the soap
>And everything else
>Repeatedly
>Eventually get close enough to clean, turn off the water, and dry off
>Skin doesn't seem paler, exactly, but it does seem a little bit off
>Decide to put some clothes on and go do something outside
 
>Go downstairs for breakfast first
>Sister's left a note
>"Hanging out with Jessica. Probably sleeping over"
>Suits me just fine
>Consider just walking outside
>Open the door and cats come running
"This... no, I don't just want to go outside."
>"Mrow?"
"You don't want to go outside either."
>But he DOES want to go outside
>In no mood to watch the cat get into trouble and try to herd him back inside
>Go upstairs to grab a backpack and plan for more than a walk around the block
>Stuff bag with trail mix, water bottle, cell phone... paper and pencil?
>Paper and pencil.
>What the hell, throw in the plushie too
>Realize I'm not wearing my glasses
>Grab them from the bathroom, put them on
>Don't seem to sit right, and make things blurry anyway
"Weird. Have to visit the eye doctor later."
>Head downstairs
>Cat still yowling at the front door, begging to go out
"No, you're not going outside. I'm going to go on a little walk. I might let you out when I get back."
>Leave the cat at the front door and head out the garage
 
>Half-mile walk to reservoir through pristine suburbia
>Almost pristine
>Lawns fading from green to yellow and brown
>Seem even uglier than usual
>Noticing street names for once
"Why ARE there so many streets with 'bridge' in their name around here when there's not a single river?"
>Been asking the same question since I moved here as a kid
>Still no fucking clue
 
>Arrive at reservoir
>Nobody in sight
>Middle of the day, 92° F, 86% humidity
>People must be at work or staying inside
>Why the fuck did /I/ come here again?
>Water level's low
>Head down to docks by the shore and take off my pack
>Take out water bottle, take a drink
>Take out paper and pencil, and try to draw
>Take out plushie, and set it on the dock
>Might get dirty; I don't care
>Looks damned cute sitting there staring at me
>(Hee, what an adorable pone)
 
>Wind up drawing a map
>Big fucking surprise
>Been years since I've really drawn anything else
>Still, feeling pretty good
>Sketch an hour or so
>Realize I never put on sunscreen
>Ought to be red as a beet
>Skin looks off, but not exactly red
>Consider heading home to treat mysterious blue sunburn
>Consider the heat
>Maybe it's heat stroke?
>Never had heat stroke
>Must be heat stroke; heat stroke does funny things
>I got sunburned; I just THINK I'm turning blue
>Decide to go swimming to cool down
>Remember my swim trunks are at home
>Look around, still see nobody
>Fuck the police
>Put stuff in bag, zip it shut, strip to underwear, jump in reservoir
>Decide just to swim to the other side, and then to swim right back
>At least a quarter mile
>Realize this was kind of a bad idea
>Keep swimming anyway
>Make it to the other side
>The hell was I thinking? I've never swum that far before
>The hell did I make it?
>Sun is scorching, arms and legs aching like nothing I've ever felt
>Shore covered with fucking plant shit
>Too damn exhausted to care
>Collapse