“Why?”
“This is content.”
“Content?”
“My followers will love this.”
He pointed the camera toward me.
“Say you need food.”
I turned away.
He laughed harder.
“Come on, man. I’ll tag the store.”
That moment depressed me more than I expected.
Not because he was cruel.
Because cruelty had become entertainment.
I continued.
A cashier whispered something to another employee.
A woman pulled her child closer as I passed.
A man in a business suit looked directly through me.
Twenty-five minutes.
Thirty.
I began to regret the entire idea.
Not because everyone had failed.
Because I had designed a test that made me dislike humanity.
Then a young floor manager approached.
His name tag read: CORYN.
Maybe twenty-eight.
Neatly trimmed hair.
Blue manager vest.
He kept a polite distance.
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“A few customers have complained.”
“About me?”
“About the smell.”
I nodded.
“That seems fair.”
He looked slightly relieved that I was reasonable.
Then:
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Could I buy something first?”
“Do you have money?”
I reached into my coat and pulled out two coins.
He stared.
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
