From
<b>'What if oil began to protest?'</b>
<span class ='opening'>RETURN</span>
[[Play]]
Matthew swipes his thumb and his phone unlocks.
The message is from Gavin. Matthew reads.
'No luck with the salt mines. Empty too. All of them, all of it. The US are on the brink of announcing a national emergency. Stay safe. x'
There is a kiss at the end. Matthew tries not to think about it.
There's not time now for this.
Maybe this is all there is time for.
What else but lips and tongues and hot, sweet breath.
Matthew exhales.
[[He checks the clock on the wall]]There is bold, capitalised text at the top.
Matthew skims down to a paragraph towards the bottom of the page.
"Following the events of October 14th, we began to monitor each of our stores much more closely. The perimeter showed no indication of break in and the presence of the barrels suggested complex and expensive technologies that would have been needed for extraction and storing. However, despite all of these measures we continued to observe the same results. In the late afternoon we'd leave a room full of barrels, sealed and packed, ready for shipment. In the morning when we returned, the barrels were there. The seals loosened although not totally gone, and the barrels were empty. Not a drop of oil to be seen. We were perplexed."
Matthew smooths the page, and closes the file.
He closes his eyes for a moment, and puts his fingertips on his eyelids.
He applies a gentle pressure.
Matthew's phone pings
[[He reaches for it ->He goes to check his message]] They're 15 minutes late.
He wonders whether they actually already know. There are a couple of damning pieces of evidence. There are only a few narratives which make sense.
The oil is in tanks at night and it's gone in the morning.
The floor shimmers with a luminescent sheen.
The crude oil is no longer depleting. For the first time in centuries, the volume of oil below ground has begun to grow.
The large oak door swings open.
A woman emerges silently.
She beckons and holds the door open.
Matthew follows.
[[The oak door slams shut behind him]]
A table extends from wall to wall.
A couple of people sit on chairs. Women, men, others. Several are digitally present. They glimmer and shift in the shafts of sunlight.
A word emerges. Matthew can't tell who spoke.
"Speak."
Matthew opens his mouth.
"It's escaping -" he begins "returning to the Earth."
He continues to talk. He can't hear himself.
He's not here really.
He's leaking out of his own body, making his way to Gavin. He needs to get there quickly, slipping and sliding over the Earth. In his bones, the bones that stay with his voice as he continues to speak. In his bones he know what will come next. No one is quite ready for this.
The people shift in their seats in the table.
Their money is doing the same. Dissolving back into the Earth. Streams run to their source.
Digital coins become sparks in fuses.
The oil returns to the Earth.
Matthew returns to Gavin.
Matthew continues to leak out of himself.
All is well. Matthew gulps at the air.
His heart is beating quickly. He steadies himself.
Matthew repeats an affirmation.
"I am strong." the muscle between his shoulders relaxes. "I am capable."
Matthew straightens his tie.
He holds a file between his thumb and his index finger in his right hand.
His fingers are white from pressure.
One last check.
[[He opens up the file]]