The (Shipped) Gold Standard

A man sat alone in a room.

This man had a very troubled mind.

He often thought about how much time he actually had on this Earth.

It wasn't much.

He found himself slipping into familiar nostalgia.

Wishing for his childhood.

Wishing that his youth was in reach.

You see, this man didn't do much in his life.

However, his mind was complex and beautiful.

Ideas, concepts, and infinite thoughts filled his mind, brimming to the point of...

...of overflowing.

But they never did.

Those swirling thoughts never had a chance to exit the confines of the man's body.

They were imprisoned inside the brain, like butterflies trapped in a spiderweb.

Awaiting death.

This was a very painful experience for the man.

But he never voiced his suffering.

He never told anyone.

The man often wondered if there were others out there like him.

Battling their own mind.

Tight lipped, complex people like himself.

As he grew older, he started to notice his longing for the pain's end to wane.

He retreated into the dark corners of his mind.

He entered places he dared not go before.

His thoughts grew twisted.

People started worrying about him.

He reassured them.

He told them that everything was fine; he was ok.

His loved ones believed him.

They left him alone.

They made the wrong choice.