Tik-tok goes the grandfather clock, forlorn, abandoned in the corner. It’s whisper, contending with a persistent hum of electricity. A woosh of air. Vents open with a screech. Fans whirr. The oak stain on wood has lost its glisten. Forgotten from time, forgotten with the age of the internet.

  Tik-tok.

  This time, a shout. Not from the clock on the wall reminding you of the era from before. Here, now, this shout demands your attention. It is an ever-persistent shout. Even asleep, it haunts you in your dreams. It is the persistent buzz as you get a new notification, when you thought you had them silenced. It is the distracting, constant update on your life, no not your life. The life of another. Who? I don’t know. You don’t know. Who knows?

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Big Al.

  No-one seems to care. Do you? Does your brain tingle as you realize what that means? Let’s zoom in. Pick a person, any person. Scroll through the selection given to you by al. Which one do you think is the best? The one you're watching? Do you remember the previous one? The one before that? Do you realize how time passes, leading you to the middle of the night in the blink of an eye? Do you recall a single thing you have just seen? And most importantly;

  Have you chosen yet?

  Well, since you don’t seem to care, let me show you. Not that dog person you saw a hundred videos ago, not that 'funny' video you don’t seem remember the contents of. Let’s go.