I've had time to think about it, holed up in this guest house with @
Rosalie Francis and the handful of other disturbed tourists who've ended up here. I've been watching them drool and shiver in the corners. I've been listening to them whimper under the beds.
They're terrified of going outside. Terrified by life on on Primordia 9. And it's getting worse.
"You can wear a blindfold," I tell Rosalie. "We just need to get to the portal station and we can be back at Psyhigh in an instant."
"NOOOOOOOO!" she wails. "The sounds... the smells... they will get back in my head..."
She starts panting and staring at the floor again.
So I've had time to think about it, spending my days cooped up in this house with these strangers, curtains drawn and towels stuffed into the cracks beneath the doors. Why are they so disturbed by Primordia 9?
I think after they eat some of the food from this planet they'll feel better.
"NOOOOOOOO!" she wails. "You can't go out! No one can! It will drive you mad..."
She starts sobbing again.
God I am getting so bored of her.
I grab the guide book and slip out the side door, looking for dinner.
"Just try it," I tell @
Rosalie Francis.
She's practically catatonic. Along with all the other travellers holed up in this hostel.
"Nnnn... noooo....no.... the madness! The swirling madness!!!"
I still don't know why I'm unaffected by this environment. Ever since setting foot here, Rosalie became more and more unhinged. It was supposed to be an easy trip, promoted as having one of the most compatible environments for standard-earth humans. To me, the surroundings have been strange, but not so thoroughly alien as to drive me insane. There are beings, and a city, and transportation...
"Just one little taste. Just a nibble. Trust me, it could help settle your stomach."
She looks at it for a moment in my hands.
"It's disGUSTing!!! Oh my god I'm going to throw up again--"
Rosalie heaves, but there's nothing left to come up.
"The guide book says that putting a little piece of the world inside you can help you level off. Just close your eyes and take a bite. It's definitely compatible with our physiology. I had it checked."
And I polished off one myself when I bought it from the folkloric corner shop that sold them. I wasn't mad, but I'd been starving.
"Oh... ok... anything if it will stop this..."
Rosalie winces and squeezes her eyes shut an leans forward. I lift it up to her mouth and she takes a tiny bite. Then, tentatively, she begins to chew.
And chew.
And bite again.
"Oh my god... you're right. I feel better already! I...."
She leans in for another bite. With her mouth full, she asks "What do they call this here?'
"A Philadelphia Cheese Steak," I answer.