Imagine you're at a party. It's big. Everyone you've ever known is there. Lots of people you don't know have attended, too.
You're all having a good time. Everyone wants to stay, no one wants to leave. You find this a little weird.
Every so often, someone gets pushed out the door. They didn't want to go, but someone made them. Everyone is a little saddened by their absence. The people who were closest are the saddest, sometimes angry. Occasionally someone will force the pusher out. Sometimes many people are accidentally shoved out. Strangely, it's never connected to someone you know.
Everyone's pissed that people keep leaving. "These pushy people have to be stopped," they say. "It's unfair and should be halted," they argue. Sure, there are some people you don't want to see, or some people you wish weren't at the party, but you'd never eject them yourself. Everyone is in agreement, the pushers should be put in another private room in the house, alone save for eachother.
Imagine now, you want to leave the party. No one you've ever talked to here has ever wanted to leave, so you're wary about talking to people about it.
Then, one person tries to leave. All on their own. They open the door, get one foot in, and the crowd goes silent.
The person is yanked from the doorway. The door slams shut. Kicking and screaming, they're dragged into a hallway until the profanity is obfuscated by the returning conversation as though nothing happened.
Later, you meet this person. They say they were hauled off to a private room. Someone told them all the reasons they should stay, but they still didnt want to. They were kept there, alone, without anyone else to see them until they lied about staying. This sounds worse than the punishment for pushing someone out.
You still want to leave, but you know you cant tell anyone, nor can you use the door. You spy a window. An innocuous closed window. Just big enough to step through onto the sidewalk outside.
You inch towards it, wary of anyone who may see you trying to leave through the window. Keep in mind, this is a very busy party with people packed wall to wall.
You crack the window, judging everyone's reaction. It ranges from "why suggest opening the window?" To "hah! If I don't find any more chips, im jumping out myself."
Someone closes it in passing. You open it again. You get the same reactions from the same people. This repeats. Someone opens it slightly to mock you, then closes it.
Eventually you open it halfway. "Dude. Quit making us feel bad." "Yeah, we don't want to see you opening the window." "Why did you open it? Do you need help?" You don't need help, you need them to stop interfering. Someone slams it shut and steers you towards the middle of the crowd, then vanishes.
You realize: it doesnt need to be open for you to leave.
You scream: "look out the window!"
The crowd parts, eyes on the glass.
You barrel ahead, no one can halt you because no one sees you until youre past them.
You jump. You duck. You break the glass. It digs into your skin, your clothes, your muscle.
You collapse outside. Standing up, you look ahead.
There's nothing.
You look back at the house you escaped from.
Nothing.
You look ahead at the sidewalk.
Nothing.
You brush the glass off your clothes with your hands.
You realize you have neither clothes covered in glass nor hands nor a body. There's nothing here. You stop thinking.
It's so much better than that party.
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