Jittery. Photogram. Frame. I. Click. Through. Space. Again. I zoom out, and time unrolls infinitely. Each nanosecond cinematised, shot by shot. Until I’m trapped in a single frame.

Beat beat. Pause. Beat beat. Pause. My heart alone now keeps up with the fading echo of a song just a moment ago blaring out of a floor speaker. Beat beat. Pause. Gold chains suspended over necks of bodies hanging midair. Beat beat. Pause. Touchscreens frozen midscroll under hovering thumbs. Beat beat. Pause. Booze turned to stone mid-journey as plastic cups kiss lips. Beat beat. Pause…

I’ve done it again, I think. Again, I’m the only pulsating sonar in the depth of spacetime. For a while, I know I’ll be utterly alone in this sea of frozen bodies. It brings me peace, somehow, to feel that I’m in control of an utterly mystifying universe, this proof that I’m ruler of my own destiny. I feel like I’m chosen to make sense of it all — and that I will…

Beat beat. Pause. But just as this thought crosses my mind, she sees me. Beat beat. Pause. Her dark eyes are blinking. Beat beat. Pause. They are approaching. Beat beat. Pause. Her hand grabs mine, I can’t help staring at her deep deep eyes. Beat beat. Pause. She shakes my hand and says: “Finally, I thought time was ripe for you to meet the Director”.