The Wick at Three in the Morning

” Everyone had watched him dream through a sheet of glass, and he had been the one who took it all most seriously and fell the hardest. He did not go home. He threw up in the office bathroom. Afterward, he stood by the sink for a long time, looking at his reflection. His face was frighteningly pale. The shadows under his eyes were dark enough to look continuous. He suddenly did not want to see anyone, answer any calls, or reply to any messages. Friends asked, “Are you okay?” He saw it and did not answer. Family asked if he was coming home for the weekend. He did not answer that either. He turned the phone to silent, as if shutting himself down. For days, he barely slept.