//------------------------------// // A Small Obstacle // Story: My Life with Nanaimo // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// I decided to drive around for a bit, just to see what was going on. One of the other weird things is that while I was driving, no one actually saw us, and no one paid attention to my car -- and oddly, it felt as though the car itself was also a construct of my imagination, as other vehicles would pass through us. This aspect deeply disturbed Nanaimo, who freaked out as much as I did when a large truck seemed to run right through us. It was very weird to see the inside of a trailer packed with pallets wrapped in plastic, the contents visible but also intangible. It turns out that I could drive my car anywhere I wanted, off the road, through parks, through farm fields, just about anywhere. I also noticed the fuel gauge never went down from the half-tank mark -- it appeared that I could drive the car an infinite distance without using any fuel. I must be dead, I thought, my mood worsening again. The sound of Nanaimo's belly rumbling brought me out of my reverie. "What, you're hungry?" I asked her. "Um, yeah, I don't know what you have for food, but I need something to eat," she replied. "All right, let me go back home, I've got some food in the fridge and in the cabinets," I replied. A short while later, I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex and helped my pony get out of the car again. "Will you let me do that myself? I know how to do that now," she protested weakly, still allowing me to touch her. If nothing else, despite being dead I was able to feel the softness of her fur and the firmness of her body. I absentmindedly scratched her behind her ears then went to my building. She cooed softly as I scratched her behind her ears and let a whimper of disappointment escape her lips when I stopped scratching her. I motioned for her to follow me back to my apartment. One of the things I noticed before going into the building though was the fact that the dumpster had been filled with a lot of stuff that looked awfully familiar -- some clothes, some shoes, an old television, my bed sheets, a mattress... I tried my key in the lock, surprised that the door even opened. Everything in the apartment was gone. I was flabbergasted, and Nanaimo couldn't believe her eyes either. "Where's all your stuff?" she asked as she and I both went through the entire apartment, noticing that everything had been removed, all that was left was the carpeting on the floor. The closets had been emptied, the fridge had been removed, the cabinets were open -- everything was gone. "You didn't see the dumpster outside, did you? Looks like all my stuff got thrown away," I replied in a dull monotone. I was in shock, trying to accept this grim reality. "I guess that's what happens when people die, their possessions become worthless," I added, my voice tinged with sadness. "Not sure how I'm going to get you some food now." I opened the front door of the apartment and checked the mail, noting that the box was stuffed as full as it could be. I pulled all the mail out, noticing what looked like about two months' worth of junk mail and bills. I surmised that time passes differently when you're dead and that would explain why everything was gone. I took the accumulated mail with me and urged my pony to follow me out the back door. I locked the doors behind me and we headed back to my car, but not before I threw the mail in the dumpster and fished out a couple of items that had some sentimental value to me, as well as a change of clothes, not that I would be needing them much longer, but because I wanted those specific clothes. "So what are we going to do now?" she asked, her tone indicating worry and fear. "Looks like we're going to have to find somewhere else to stay, and I don't think it will be very comfortable," I replied glumly. I caught sight of a couple of my small plush ponies, one of Trixie and one of Twilight Sparkle. I was able to grab them as well, along with a pair of shoes that had never been worn and were still in the box. A small glass jar with some silver coins in it were within easy reach, so I grabbed that as well. "Looks like I might have a little money," I noted as I shook the jar and heard the coins jingle inside it. "Why are you bringing that stuff with us?" she asked. "What good is it going to do us?" "I wanted a few souvenirs of my time here, I hope you understand -- didn't you have some personal stuff of your own that you put some value on?" "Yeah, but I didn't get a chance to take it with me," she answered, her tone downbeat as she hung her head and her ears drooped. Her stomach grumbled again. "I'll try to see if I can get some food for us," I stated, lightly scratching the mare behind her ears again. This seemed to make her happy. "Come on, let's get in the car again, we're going for another ride." We made our way over to my car and she surprised me by opening the door, climbing into the passenger seat, and buckling herself in. "You're getting pretty good with that," I observed, smiling at her as I got into my seat and started up the car. "It's easy enough if you do it enough times," she responded, returning my smile with one of hers. "Now please, let's get some food," she implored almost impatiently as her belly grumbled again. I drove to the nearest grocery store and got out, Nanaimo following me as I turned off the car and locked the doors. We entered the store and once again received no attention from other shoppers or store clerks as we checked out the selection of foodstuffs. Nanaimo was amazed by everything, commenting on various items. I grabbed a small basket and put a few items in, asking Nanaimo what she wanted and putting it in the basket as well. Checking out was impossible, so I bagged the items and left the store without paying for them, Nanaimo following me out the door. We were just about to my car when everything went pitch black, as though the entire world, no, the entire universe had blinked out of existence, leaving just the two of us looking at each other in bewilderment by this disorienting turn of events.