This piece is a response narrative for the Autofiction x Worldbuilding submissions call.  It was inspired by this Autoficitonal seed. For this call, we asked people to write a response to another author’s autofictional submission, based on the original piece and this bit of cryptic world lore.

This, and other Worldbuilding pieces are being published to a Wiki, which will allow contributors to edit, link, and otherwise annotate their work and that of their peers.

Drunk On a Park Bench

All the people walk away.
People are stupid.
People are massive.
Their little lives, each of them.
I’m so tiny and inconsequential.
People eat ice cream.
They make their children laugh hard.
People love to fight sometimes.
I’m scared I’ll die in a mosh pit.
It’s an intrusive thought.
All the people make love.
At least they are results of love.
People die one day.
How sad death is.
People live and then.
People until the sun burns down.
I love people or say I do.
People call you by your name.
The name people gave you.
There was an hour you enjoyed life.
You could be anything.
People took that away.
They gave it back gift-wrapped.
I’m the person you see laughing.
That’s all there is left.
I’m a person you see inside.