The afternoon air was cool and crisp, a welcome contrast to the humid, internal violence of the morning. Mr. Sterling stood in the produce aisle of the local supermarket, his posture as impeccable as his tailored coat. Beside him stood a long-time friend, who listened with a mixture of bewilderment and suppressed amusement as Sterling gestured toward a head of radicchio.
"One must consider the structural integrity of waste," Sterling remarked, his voice smooth and academic. "When the body’s repair cells lack the necessary fiber to act as a scaffold, the result is a petrified density that defies the laws of biology." He began selecting his preferred lettuce, his fingers light and nimble. "I’m pivoting toward seaweed and specific roughage. It’s about fluid dynamics, really."
The friend watched him, tempted to intervene. He knew Sterling’s history of "live experiments" and the dangerous extremes of his previous fasts. But he bit his tongue; the last time he had nagged Sterling about his health, the gentleman had simply vanished, cutting off all contact for months. Sterling was a worthwhile friend, even if he treated his own colon like a laboratory. It was strangely comedic to see him so composed after what must have been a harrowing morning.
"Do you have anything to say about obstacles collapsing?" the friend asked suddenly, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know, like miners trapped in a tunnel finally seeing the light?"
Sterling gasped, a sharp intake of breath that betrayed him for exactly one second. He glanced back at his friend, his eyes wide with a flash of the "tunnel" memory—the earthquakes, the pressure, the desperate release. Then, the mask of the gentleman snapped back into place. He turned back to his walking, his gait calm and steady.
"No," Sterling said, his voice a masterpiece of feigned indifference. "Nothing's wrong."
The friend couldn't help but laugh, the sound echoing through the quiet aisles as they walked toward the checkout, the battle won and the secret kept.
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