Black Skull 7
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66.08.02 04:20
From: The Board
To: You
Dear valued BLOOM employee,
Hey friends,
At BLOOM, we think nature is pretty awesome. Whether it's swordfish, squirrels, or skunks, we love all our fellow creatures. All the way down to algae and single-celled organisms, there is nothing alive that's better or worse than the next thing, the next friend, the next link in the chain that encircles us all.
Isn't it wonderful, friends, to know that we are not individuals? You are not alone in this big scary universe. You've got families made up of trillions of members. You have more bacteria in your gut than there are stars in the sky. Have you remembered to thank every single one of them?
Let's do it together.
Dear friends, you ride with us every single day in the dark, highly acidic environment. Uncomplaining. Unobtrusive. If we treat you right, we barely know you're there. So rarely do we even acknowledge you, you must think we take you for granted.
Well, not anymore. This one's for you. Today will henceforth be known as Gut Bacteria Celebration Day.
Take it easy. And don't forget to eat your ration of kimchi every day to keep your gut BLOOM-ing!
The Board.
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66.08.02 23:26
From: You
To: The Board
Dear freaks,
Well, I’m not sure what I just witnessed. Some sort of foothills oasis above the steppes in a sloping meadow where wildflowers grew tall in the grass. The air was warm and I busted a sweat just hiking up there, following the green arrow of destiny on my phone.
I was huffing and puffing by the time the tents came into view, gazebos and electrical trailers. There were towers with big lights on them and silkscreens to reflect the light. A group of people was sitting in the shade and, as I got closer, I saw their black t-shirts – the Marketing Department.
They were set up on the edge of a stream that meandered down the gentle slope, cutting the meadow in half. The water frothed and bubbled around rocks and in the pools where it gathered it was crystal clear. The water looked so refreshing and I was so hot and sticky. The dust from the trail clung to my clothes and my skin, and I decided to get a drink and splash some cold water on my face before doing the interview.
I climbed down the bank, reached into the water, and motherfuckin fell in. I went completely under the ice-cold water. It sucked all the air from my chest and made me gasp, taking in a whole lungful of pure fire. I splashed around a whole bunch and hauled my ass out and lay on a rock. Blood was pounding in my ears but it soon died down and I heard laughing – the whole cast and crew were watching me. And who do you think was part of the party? Which gorgeous superstar, face of the entire company, but 900.900?!?
The girl of my dreams. I’d often VR myself into her shows. And now she was here, right in front of me, wearing a leopard print singlet and laughing at me. It took me a good while for my face to stop burning and the hollow pit in my stomach to fill back in and I felt like a fuckin kid again, mumbling and stuttering that I’d been sent to give her a scan.
She smiled as she got down from the director’s chair and almost knocked me back in the creek. I haven’t felt the loving touch of a woman since joined BLOOM. Porn and silicone only go so far, you know what I mean? And now the object of my fantasies was taking me by the hand and softly saying that she would do whatever I wanted.
We walked back down to the truck and I practically had to hide my hard-on when she lay back in the scanner. I got a look at her belly and ribcage where the singlet was open. And her legs.
I can barely remember any of the answers she gave me. Something about unions disrupting her shoot and how the latest picture was actually a powerful metaphor, a purposeful message designed to remind the workers of the real-world implications of their work, their individual contribution to the collective mission or some other such bullshit. But I do remember her blood-red lips splitting like a wound, revealing whiter than white stones underneath. If this is what my new role entails, then fuck it, I ain’t ever going back.
Employee 531.448
