Location: 70°00'S; 75°30'W (Antarctica)
Time: January 1, 2020.
Over one million towns, and I chose this one. This one is special.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's because you live in Gaia. Let me explain everything.
I live in a reality called Wishik. This reality has over one million towns scattered around the planet. Every town is run by a different ideology. Some towns are ruled by the Shariah, some by Marxism, some by feminism, some are LGBT friendly, some are homophobic, some don't allow Buddhism, some only allow Buddhism, some are white-supremacist and only white europeans are allowed, some are nudist, well, you got it.
What if one doesn't like the ideology of the town they live in? Well, once you reach the age of 15 you will be forced to choose a town anyway. Below the age of 15 you will be protected by international standards that will keep you safe even from the most extreme ideologies.
I'm 18 now, and three years ago I chose this town from over one million choices. What is this town you ask? Well, uhm... it's a town where people make fart fetish art. Yeah. There were dozens of these towns, but I chose this one in Antarctica because it was really cool (pun semi-intended). There are hundreds if not thousands of fart fetish towns which are divided mainly in two categories:
-Artistic: people make fart fetish art but they rarely fart in other people's faces.
-Practical: people are focused on farting in other people's faces, although not mandatory (that goes without saying).
Of course, I live in an artistic fart fetish town. I don't like the practical ones, they feel creepy IMO.
Anyway, I'm walking in the most crowded streets of this town. Everyone is celebrating the new year and hugging each other.
I want a hug, too.
"Hi guys", I say, shy.
"Hello!", they say, inviting me.
"What are you doing?", I ask, curious.
"We are celebrating the new year with this skunk girl statue, it's sacred to us, you know *laughs*", said a guy.
"I'm still waiting for an onara anime", I say.
"Oh? I don't care about such an anime", he says.
"Uhm... it's getting pretty awkward", I say.
"Okay", he says.
I predict an onara anime will be made before 2025. I really hope that. It will be the next onara revolution. I know that in Gaia there isn't an onara anime, either. But here, it's coming soon, I can feel it. Perhaps Gaia and Wishik aren't that different, anyway. Art is mostly the same in both realities. If something is released in Gaia, the same work of art will be released in Wishik, give or take a week.
Today is a sunny and calm day, which is quite rare here. Weather forecasts predict a windstorm approaching our area in the next few days. I'll stay at home browsing fart drawings and stories on the Internet. But now I'd rather stay outside. It's barely above freezing, but I chose this town and I'm resolute to stay here no matter what. I know so many nice people, girls too, for example Beth, who is my best female friend. I have lots of friends here so I don't want to leave and say goodbye. Leave for which reason, anyway? This is my haven, my home. There's no reason I would want to leave except maybe for the polar night in June and the cold windy weather, but I knew it was going to be like this, so I shouldn't complain. At least I don't live in the infamous Antarctic Plateau. I live in one of the mildest places in Antarctica so it's okay.
I keep walking around the streets and I noticed people were showing huge drawings. Very well made drawings, I would add. Here people are truly artists, but I'm not. I just make horrible drawings with MS Paint and write really short (<1000 words) stories. I don't know how to improve, and my self-esteem is decreasing day after day. I'm useless here. I'm not even good at cooking. I'm not good at anything. I'm naturally unskilled, I don't belong to an artistic town. I don't belong anywhere. Perhaps I shouldn't have been born. I'm a weight for the rest of humanity, a mouth to feed. I know everyone hates me, I'm worthless.
I should hide myself in a solitary shell and drown alone in my salty tears, for they are my only true friends. I'm surrounded by hundreds of people, yet I feel lonely, because I'm not worth of their friendliness. I should go back home in my bed and cry all day. I should get better at drawing and writing, and until I get perfect, I won't give myself peace. I want to become at the same level of others. I should really take a drawing course again, and this time I should really give the best of me. All the times I tried I failed miserably, so perhaps I'm naturally bad at drawing. There's no way I could improve, I'll never be as good as the others, I'm doomed to live a miserable life crying in a corner of my room with my inner demons, but even those don't care about me. I'm feeling cold, but it's not only due to the barely above freezing weather. I'm feeling cold inside, too. This emptiness is hard to endure as it swallows up my soul and brings my self-esteem to the lowest it can be. How can I have a high self-esteem if I'm worthless myself?
"Beth, can we meet each other now?", I ask her, trying to maintain a calm voice.
"Sure, come at my house", she said, in a comforting tone.
I started walking to her house. I should let Beth comfort me, I shouldn't be alone in my dark thoughts. But Beth is far better than me at drawing, she's better than me. I'm the worst in this town. Should I really let her comfort me? I'm not worthy of praise, my drawings are really bad and could make anyone laugh at me. I can't even draw a butt. Why would anyone like me? I'm feeling sick in the stomach and just want to sleep forever and never wake up again. Perhaps I should have gone to a "practical" fart fetish town. Mind you, I'm not even good at farting. I'm simply not good, why would Beth even waste time with me? Should I really go to her house? Well, now, what happens, happens. I tremble, both from the cold and anxiety, and knock at her door. My heart is beating fast and I feel like it's hard to swallow.
She opens the door, I try to smile.
"Come in", she said, smiling.
She closes the door after I entered.
"Oh, do you want to play videogames?", she asks, excited, "I have some new ones".
"No, actually, I'm feeling quite horrible", I say.
"Why?", she asks.
"It's a long story. Do you want to listen?", I ask.
"Sure, let's sit down on the couch", she said.
I start explaining what's wrong.
"Here's the fact: I can't draw nor write nor do any other form of art. I don't know why I chose to live here. Three years ago, I was 15, pretty immature, and I was forced to chose somewhere to live in. I didn't want to live in my sexually repressed native town, so I chose somewhere more, uhm... liberal about this, for lack of a better term. Since I knew I had a fart fetish, I chose this town at the bottom of the world. At first, I started making drawings but no one cared about them because they're so terrible. My stories are really badly written, too. I'm naturally unskilled, and there's no way I can improve. I'm useless here and I've been feeling like this for a year now", I explain.
"Is it okay if I hug you?", she asks.
"Sure, that would help, thank you", I say.
She hugs me and I almost cry. Someone cares about me. This warm fuzzy feeling is pleasant, yet, I feel like I don't deserve it. Why would someone like me deserve to be loved? I'm not worthy enough to be loved. The hug is lasting for more than 15 seconds now and I wonder when this will end. I don't want this to end soon, I want to feel the love. I don't get loved often, so I have to make the best out of it. Will my emotional wounds be healed by this angelic embrace? Will I live a new happy life? I know it's sad, my happiness depends on Beth, but it's true. I can't be happy in my lonely shade. Perhaps I should feel comforted by the fact humans need other humans. There's no way we can ignore this and pretend this is false. Bar a few exceptions, everyone needs other people to be happy. I should thank Beth from the deepest of my heart, but how?
"Thank you, Beth, you are an angel", I say, not being able to stop myself from crying. My tears fell on her shirt and she hugged me even tighter. This feels bittersweet, but good. Comforting is the right word. I don't think I've ever felt something like this before, it feels so good. I breathe deeply and even breathing feels good while being squeezed in a hug. My worries are gone, aren't they? I trust Beth, I know she can make my sadness go away. She is doing it right now. I don't know how long this hug is lasting, but it maybe well over a minute now.
I let go and dry my tears with my shirt I keep under the jacket.
"Do you need a cloth?", she asks.
"Yes, please", I say.
She gave me a cloth and I dry my tears with it. I breathe deeply.
"Thank you, Beth, I feel a lot better now. But why do you want to comfort if my drawings are so bad?", I ask.
"Because you have a really nice personality and I really like being with you. You're kind and sweet", she says, smiling. I smile back.
"Oh, I have a fart coming. Do you want to smell it?", she asks.
"Don't you think it's a bit... out of place?", I ask.
"It's now or never", she said, "you know, I might change my mind later".
"Okay, okay, I'll do it", I say.
She pulls down her pants and I place my nose on her panties.
*pppbbbfffrrrttt*
I inhale and surprisingly, it smelled really strong. Like rotten vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, with a hint of pepper. The smell is rich and intense, and it feels like heaven. Perhaps this is the start of a new happy life, and I won't be sad again.
"Can I stay with you every day?", I ask.
"Sure, we're friends, and I don't want you to feel sad or lonely", she said, smiling.
"Your gas smells really good, by the way", I told her, giggling. Yeah, I feel a lot better now. As long as I stay with her, everything will be alright.
"Thank you", she said, "another hug?"
"Yeah!", I exclamed.
We hugged each other. A brand new happy life awaits me.