Tales from The Blip

James Monet

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(A gray nondescript room where a simple brown table and matching chairs are set, two people are seated)

Int: This is a formal and legal interview done with the full consent and knowledge of the participating member, can you acknowledge this once more James?

J: Yes, I agree. Legally and whatever.

Int: Okay, lets begin simple, how old are you?

J: 23 years old legally, 18 biologically.

Int: Do you remember what I told you before?

J: Yeah, I can 'go off on tangents' if I wanted to.

Int: Okay, good. I'll ask you some short questions first, take as long as you'd like to answer them and speak your mind, be honest.

(James wordlessly nods)

Int: Where were you before you snapped? What were you doing?

J: Well, I was staying at home because I was feeling sick. My mom had just left to go to work and I was texting my friends in bed. It was...mundane, a normal day.

Int: Do you remember how you felt when it happened? Many people reported it differently.

J: It really felt like I was dying, or what I think is what it would feel like. It was like my energy was just sucked out of me and I sort of just let it happen. I didn't now what was happening.

(J shifts in his chair)

J: The few seconds leading up to it were painful, it felt like I was having a heart attack. Then it was nothing and then dust. Poof. I was gone. No one I've talked to has remembered what it felt like after, I don't either. It was like I time traveled.

(J pauses and leans back in his chair)

(A few seconds of silence followed by the Interviewer's cough)

Int: Well, lets move on to external effects. What about your family, what had changed? You aren't obligated to share everything, it's up to you.

J: What changed? Everything. My mom was 48, now she's 53. It doesn't seem like much but it kind of hurts, ya know? To know that I wasn't there for her. For five years. It sucks.

(J deeply sighs)

J: When I came back I was so scared, so confused. I just wanted things to go back, to what they used to be. My mom kept everything in my room the same, she said she barely could even look at it without crying.

J: At first I was so happy to see my mom, ya know? Even if she was older. I could be with her. I was confused though, why she wouldn't mention my dad..

(J chokes back tears)

J: Turns out- he fucking died. Literally a year ago. I was a year late.

Int: No one can control what happened, James-

J: I know! I know okay..? I just felt guilty, that all this happened because of me being blipped! My dad dies, my mom was left alone to deal with all this, on top of being pregnant!

(There's a minute of silence)

J: Sorry, I just need a second. I've been going to therapy but I've got a long way to go.

Int: It's okay, James. Everyone needs to recover and it can take some time. Do you feel comfortable to continue?

J: ...yeah. I think I'm good.

Int: Okay, now that we've talked about some negative. What positives or silver linings you can see from this?

J: Well, for one it'd have to be my younger brother. He's just a baby, really. I've been an only child for 18 years and it's strange having a sibling this old.

(J's voice softens slightly)

J: But I think I understand. All those stories about siblings? The love you feel...the love I felt for my brother was definitely a positive.

Int: Why do you think they decided to have another child?

J: I know why, it's pretty obvious. They thought I was dead, gone. It's only natural to start over. I don't fault them or anything.

Int: Any other positives?

J: Another would be definitely that all of my friends were Blipped with me. How lucky is that? I don't think...I don't think I could have handled seeing my friends grown and gone along with my family situation.

J: So yeah, that. I guess it's also cool that I didn't have to wait years for some movies or games to come out. That was nice.

Int: Do you think you're up for more questions or are you comfortable stopping here?

J: I think I'm good here. This was much harder than I expected.

Int: One last question before we finish, do you have a message for those out there in similar situations, or those who don't think they belong in this world anymore?

J: Look, it's gonna suck man. Everything is strange, technology and movies and people are different. It'll seem like you're in a totally new world, someplace you don't belong. Maybe that's true, maybe we don't belong anymore but it's not for others to decide. I decided a while ago that I wanted to stay, I wanted to help my family move on. I want to move on. You can do anything you want, you have a clean slate and a new story.

Int: Thank you for your time, James. It was kind of you to agree to this.

(James and Interviewer shake hands, James leaves the room)

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