Alone in the empty Science Building computer lab, I sit in the interim between classes—the calm between waves of abaya-clad students. The rows of monitors stand at unrequited attention. From the front desk, I scan my paraphernalia scattered across the wooden desktop and wonder. What would posterity make of me and my artifacts if we were preserved in volcanic ash?
Inventory – A tobacco-colored fedora to shield a bald head against skin cancer [protection] ⟨symbol of status⟩ // A black leather wallet, open like a Roman amphitheater, lined with rows of credit and ID cards [commerce] ⟨personal shrine⟩ // Glasses with an imperceptible line, for correcting sight both near and far [clarity] // A stainless-steel water bottle to reduce the plastic seeping into his cellular structure [health] {ritual vessel} // Keys plopped in a jangling heap—car, home, office, and mailbox keys colliding [access] ✕talismanic collection✕ // A Samsung phone and aluminum-shelled MacBook Air—portals to the digital world [communication] ⟨oracles of glass⟩ // A blue pen and a notebook for stray notes and things to do [thought] ⟨tome of stray ideas⟩ // Two unassuming black dry-erase markers [expression] ⟨tools for ephemeral inscriptions⟩
An expat of the early 21st century, †caught off guard† by the 20XX super volcano eruption, leaves behind a careful sprawl of synthetic artifacts. Each item reflects a life steeped in the conveniences and quiet anxieties of a digital age, painting a portrait of a man both defined by and striving beyond his belongings.
Alone in the Brutalist stillness of a museum basement, an android catalogs the relics of a long-dead human, pondering whether he found greater spiritual fulfillment in his life and work before machines automated all labor. What stirs within a being without prescribed function, capable of more than just work?
Symbols Used
- [Square Brackets] indicate the primary function or symbolic interpretation of each item.
- ⟨Angle Brackets⟩ suggest a deeper cultural or ritualistic significance assigned to everyday items, often inferred.
- ✕Crosses✕ indicate artifacts thought to have protective or symbolic properties.
- //Double Slashes// mark divisions or separations between items in the spread of belongings.
- †Obelus† marks items or concepts that are interpreted with uncertainty or speculative meanings.
Image created using Midjourney
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