Experiment

You are just grabbing your morning coffee at the usual place. It's near where you live, and you usually only come here on the days you work from home.will come here on mornings when you're at home. You have ordered and are waiting when you notice someone amazing. You don't believe you have ever seen them before and you'd certainly remember such a hottie. It's your old friend Vic, beautiful and amazing Vic. And that's not all you notice, others are noticing them and further, the noticers notice each other while the noticed oneVic is oblivous.

The shared looks you see around the cafe are running the full range and you guess this would be an amazing time to observe humans in their natural habitat, if one were so inclined. You stand near the collection counter observing. There must be at least six people that just got swept into this wave of awareness at the periphery of this magical being.Vic. ThisThe noticed one. You're all truly fascinated with them and now each other. You're always fascinated with the people that notice Vic. You wonder when the noticers, or you play back their video of today, how much tape just in these short moments now focuses on one person? How much tape now coils on the spools of recallable memory of all these people around? You're almost daydreaming replaying your own spool of memory on just recent events and how many people it impacted and you snap yourself out of it.

You're sure you're the only person waiting until the barista calls out a different name, "Vic" Vic's name. Learning who it belongs to, has you feeling like you know them or at least knew who's name it was. Now that Vic has been called, you watch as they gather their things from the table they're sitting at.

The noticed one rises from their seat and walks toward you. Vic gets up and walks over to collect their order. They approach where you stand and take Vic approaches and takes the ordered beverage, saying thanks. The noticers watch intently. You, not expecting any direct interaction with them are hands in pockets looking vaguely around thrilled to be near Vic again, smile. They notice it's you and, addressing you by name say hello and ask how you are cheerfully. You stumble for an answer, you want to joke with them to diffuse the sudden nerves but you decide against it. So, you throw out the stock response, "Good and you?". This doesn't seem to satisfy them and dissatisfies the noticers who are watching intently now with scowls contorting their features. You feel uncomfortable with the attention of the noticers but moreso withadore Vic's focus on you.

"That is hardly a response befitting an old friend.", Vic declares. Your thoughts scrape together and form the instinct to retreat since you don't know this person but they seem intensely serious in the claim that you're old friends. Before thoughts translate into action, you feel like the spools of tape where memory, thought and self would unfurl a sequence of actions, suddenly rewind or are pulled backwards like tape being chewed up. Internally, you hear the click of a play button as if normal function is restored and you are speaking."Haha, Vic, you know me too well, but I knew that old joke would get a rise out of you!" you laugh. "Vic! My god I've missed you!", you embrace.

You're thankful that at least there is some familiarity and Vic is such a delight to youthat you're here with your friend but the noticers around seem to be incensed at what they are witnessing. You're not really sure what is going on or what to do.