STORY STARTER
In a densely overcrowded world where physical contact is almost constant, your main character finds space to be alone.
You could include this scene in a story, write a poem about how the character feels, or feature this idea as a smaller part of a broader story.
Sardine
Some of the younger folks don’t understand why we call them Sardine Cans, they just never knew a world that wasn’t like this. I was little when we left Earth, but I was old enough to remember what it was like to run through a field, when it wasn’t raining that is. These kids don’t know about how rain burns your skin and makes your eyes sting if you’re out in it too long. Now you are lucky to have five minutes without rubbing elbows. They say we’re still quite a ways off from the new planet, some astrologers found one a couple star systems away and we’re not even halfway there yet. I’ll probably die in this can, but it beats the rain and dust storms I guess. Eating’s pretty good too! They’ve got some state-of-the-art machine that can replicate a lot of historical cuisine, stuff I never even ate before we started the trip. We don’t use silverware though, so it’s pretty much only finger food. My first time having what the machine calls “a hamburger sandwich with lettuce and cheese”, and I knew I wasn’t going to mind it being so crowded.
After I spent the first few years wearing the Learner’s Headset, I got assigned a duty to perform like the rest of us. The system determined that my aptitude level was alright enough for Maintenance and Sanitation. My boss isn’t usually very happy with my work so I mostly do sanitation stuff like cleaning up the food printer, or running the laundry for everyone’s skinsuits. Every now and then, though, I get to spacewalk. Debris and dust gets stuck outside or covers up the solar panels and someone has to go outside to clear it off. As I said, my boss doesn’t care for me much. But I don’t mind going outside, really. I make sure to set up my lifeline properly, but I take my sweet time out there. Yeah, maybe it’s dangerous, but being all alone outside is something else. On my way over to the solar panels array, it feels just like that field. The other maintenance guys all think I’m crazy for enjoying it. I don’t know, maybe I am. But I’m probably dying in this can, so I’ve got to enjoy the little things
