Prologue

Prologue

I’m glad the uni decided to keep their doors open 24/7 this year, although that is a more recent development. If they weren’t open, I would probably be beside myself worrying about just how I was supposed to finish this coursework on time.

My trusty laptop had finally given up on me after being quite frankly abused over the last eight years. Fortunately, I had rather uncharacteristically decided to make a backup of the project on a USB. Normally, I wouldn’t bother, but I just felt that it was about time for something not to go my way.

Thanks to that, all I had to do was run to the uni so I could finish it off in one of the computer labs.

Although, I do still need to figure out what to do about my laptop in the long term.

I pushed that thought out of my mind so I could focus on what I had in front of me.

Many hours passed as I stuck my head down to get this coursework done. It had been a while since I’d had to work into the night, though I can’t exactly say I’m unfamiliar with being forced to pull an all-nighter.

I had just finished with the final touches when the time passed 3 am, and all that was left to do was submit it online, which I did without any issues. Thankfully.

“Almost done, just a little more.”

I don’t know just how many times I have said that to myself over the years, but that doesn’t really matter. Every time I finished something like this it meant that I was one step closer to really getting my life started. Though the end had never felt quite as close as it did at that moment. All that was left to finish was my dissertation; then, I would finally be free.

I pulled out my phone to check my messages just in case someone had tried to contact me, and I noticed that my mother sent me a message four hours ago.

‘How are you doing?’

My next thought was something along the lines of ‘This is going to hurt’, but strangely it didn’t. Instead, I felt nothing.

Not in the sense that nothing is wrong, but just, nothing.

...

What even is nothing? I always thought it would be something like an endless black void, but it turns out that nothing doesn’t even have that.

Did you know that time is something? I didn’t think so, at least until actually experiencing nothing.’

...

Do I even count as something anymore?’

Maybe?...

...

..

.