video.

[theguideless]

–hhhgh...

[behold: the underside of a table. if...you're aware of what the underside of a table even looks like, that's surely what you're looking at.

until a hand lifts and then gracelessly drops onto the screen with a heavy THWUMP.

a grunt.]

Get...backhh... [exhale. the view tilts, then dramatically shifts.

behold: Martin's face, sideways, on the floor. red-cheeked, bleary and slow-blinking.

cue nasally, confused sound:] Mruh–?

[a long stretch of just staring, squinting periodically. he is...sure these are words he can read on this screen. hang on. just...a second...........


nah. nah, he's just gonna...gonna let the screen drop flat and display the table again, rattling a little with the careless move, while he mumbles something unintelligible, topped off with some kind of whiny noise.]

Comments

[theguideless]

No.

[boughtabookstore]

What hurts, exactly?

[theguideless]

My head. N'...my legs. My face...[smacking sound.] N'my mouth still tastes bad, too...

[boughtabookstore]

Martin, what happened?

[theguideless]

I told you I burned...my tongue.

[boughtabookstore]

And after that?

[theguideless]

After...now...[hhhh.] I don't wanna die...

[boughtabookstore]

Martin, you're not going to die. Is there anyone with you?

[theguideless]

I donno! No? No one, uh...

[beat.

unhappily:] Braryan's not here...

[boughtabookstore]

Why does your mouth taste bad?

[theguideless]

I burned it.

[boughtabookstore]

[ circles!! ]

Should I call the clinic?

[theguideless]

Martin's not there anymore...

[boughtabookstore]

[ SQUINTS ]

What?